From: Steve Strassmann <straz@cambridge.apple.com>
Date: 15 March, 1995
This folder contains a freeware implementation of Dylan, called Thomas, with an interesting history. It also contains MacGambit, a Scheme compiler.
When Apple published the first Dylan language specification in 1992, a group of researchers at DEC quickly built Thomas, an interpreter for our new language, and released it. This interpreter was written in Scheme. The Mac version of Thomas therefore ran on top of a freeware Scheme implementation, called MacGambit.
MacGambit is a high-quality compiler for the 68K, written by Marc Feeley. It can be used in two modes, as a compiler to build standalone apps (like the Thomas interpreter), or as a Scheme interpreter with an interactive environment.
When Apple published the Dylan Interim Reference Manual (DIRM) in June, 1994, the Dylan syntax had been substantially changed from a lisp-like syntax to an algebraic-style one. There were also some minor revisions to the semantics of the language.
Thomas is only compatible with the lisp-like syntax. It has not been updated to work with the newer, official Dylan syntax specified in the DIRM.
More recently, Ray Laning and his colleagues have made some extensive improvements to both the MacGambit compiler and the Thomas implementation on top of it. We're very happy to be able to enclose these revisions.
Comments and continued improvements are welcome. You can reach Ray at:
Advanced Robotic Technology
91 N. Main St.
Chagrin Falls, OH 44022
216-247-9209
rlaning@eworld.com
Prof. Marc Feeley, the author of MacGambit, can be reached at
