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Re: call/cc?


Mark Friedman <bingster@yahoo.com> writes:

>   Thanks for the quick reply. As you probably already know, although it is not
> necessarily used all that often, call/cc is one of those things that is
> occasionally essential.

Backtracking is the main good use I know for it.  Co-routines are
better implemented using threads (futures), at least within the
context of Java.  Errors/signals are better handled using exceptions.

Another application:  My plan is that it should be possible to write
a Kawa debugger in "pure Java" when using continuations.  But it may
as much or more sense to modify (say) Netbeans to understand Kawa.

Of course, if you have an existing Scheme application it can be a pain
to re-write it to not use call/cc.

> I suspect that some people (such as myself) will
> simply ignore implementations that don't have it. Consequently you might not
> see people clamoring for it on your mailing list simply because the people who
> would need it aren't using Kawa at all.

I know there are people who do need call/cc.  I don't know *how* many there
are.  However, it would clearly help the acceptance and legitimacy of Kawa
if all of Scheme, including specifically call/cc, is implemented.  So I'll
keep plugging at it.
-- 
	--Per Bothner
per@bothner.com   http://www.bothner.com/~per/

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