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Scheme Implementation Blurb: Chez Scheme

Implementation:     Chez Scheme
Authored by:        Kent Dybvig
Supported by:       limited support by the author
Hardware:           VAX
Operating Systems:  4.2 BSD UNIX (or ULTRIX)
Implementation:     incrementally compiled to native code
Intended Use:       education and research

Chez Scheme was first released earlier this year and is now
being used at about 10 universities for classes and research.
Chez Scheme supports almost all of the required and optional
features of the RRRS.  The next major release (in spring or
summer 1986) will support 100% of the required features of the
standard.

In addition to the features of the RRRS, Chez Scheme provides
error and exception handling, engines, programmable cafes and
waiters (fancy read-eval-print loops), tracing and statistics-
gathering facilities, and fast-loading compiled files.  Chez
Scheme provides floating point numbers, arbitrary-precision
ratios, and arbitrary-precision integers, but no imaginary
numbers at this time.

Bruce Smith of UNC and myself have written a book on Scheme
that is scheduled to be published in the spring.  This book
serves as the reference manual for Chez Scheme and is sent
in draft form with Chez Scheme distributions.

Chez Scheme's biggest claim to fame is the speed and size of
its implementation.  It outperforms Franz Lisp and DEC Common
Lisp on most programs, but the initial core image is less than
500K bytes, about half of which is read-only and sharable.

Sue Dybvig and myself have started a small consulting business,
named Cadence Research Systems, primarily for the purpose of
distributing and supporting Chez Scheme.  We charge a license
fee to cover costs of distribution.  The license fee per site
is $400 for US colleges and universities and $1000 for companies
who will use the system for research and education only.  

For the license forms and ordering information, contact:

   Kent Dybvig
   Cadence Research Systems
   620 Park Ridge Road
   Bloomington, IN  47401
   812/333-9269

You can also reach me during the day at 812/335-8653.


Kent Dybvig
dyb.indiana@csnet-relay