OSS (nee LetS)

[DICK@AI.AI.MIT.EDU]

I have just finished a completely new version of my LetS macro
package.  This macro package is now called OSS and is much more
powerful and much better documented than the prior version.  Complete
documentation is available in two MIT AI memos (#958 and #959).
This documentation is too long to send in a message.  However, I would
be delighted to mail copies of the memos to anyone who sends me their
US mail address.

The macro package has been tested extensively and is being released
for general use.  You can obtain the OSS macro package over the ARPA
net from the AI.AI.MIT.EDU machine where it resides in the file
DICK;OSS LISP.  This file is written in pure Common Lisp and should
run in any implementation of Common Lisp.  It has been tested in
Symbolics Common Lisp version 7 (it does not run in version 6), DEC
Common Lisp on the VAX, and Lucid Common Lisp on the SUN.  The process
of getting the macros to work in these three environments revealed
that Common Lisp is not quite as identical in different
implementations as it might be.  Some small changes might be necessary
when using OSS in other versions of Common Lisp.  For assistance in
getting OSS running in other Common Lisps, the file DICK;OSSTST LISP
on the AI.AI.MIT.EDU machine contains a set of regression tests.

Bug reports should be sent to DICK@AI.AI.MIT.EDU.  Time permitting, I
will be glad to help fix any and all problems.

When the time comes for deciding what kinds of additional looping
constructs are going to be included in Common Lisp (in a yellow pages
or in some other way), I would very much like to have the opportunity
to argue for the inclusion of OSS in addition to LOOP and whatever
else is being considered.  In this regard I would appreciate it if
someone would check to see that I am included in the CL-ITERATION
mailing list.  I also hope that the people on this mailing list will
try out OSS and see what they think of it.


					Dick Waters