agenda for the June 25 R5RS meeting: Proposed Objection

[David Kranz <kranz@lcs.mit.edu>]

   I believe that the adding of a OOP system of ths form to Scheme is a
   bad idea.  To me it is yet one more step toward the CommonLisp-ization
   of Scheme.  It is one more added feature that does nota appear to be
   implementable in terms of a simple set of core Scheme primitves.  Ode
   for the days when one reasonably intelligent individual could
   implement a reasonably efficient and complete scheme in man weeks or
   months, not man years.
   --------------------
   Morry Katz
   katz@cs.stanford.edu
   --------------------

I think you are putting the cart before the horse.  I would hope that the
purpose of scheme is to provide what we think is a good thing for people 
who *write programs*.  This may or may not be compatible with a small
implementation effort.  It is reasonable to argue that a proposed feature
could be implemented efficiently from other primitives or that it is bad
in some way from a programming point of view, but to reject it *solely*
because it makes more work for implementors is a bit absurd.  The swipe
at CommonLisp is sort of like trying to discredit someone's argument by
saying that they are a Communist (or perhaps, today, a Liberal).  Note
that I am not favoring this particular proposal.

	-David