Still preparing for the big shift to property lists.

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Simon Brooke 2023-04-02 12:57:26 +01:00
parent b61e7c3e8c
commit 50d4b4348e
26 changed files with 435 additions and 445 deletions

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<html><head><meta charset="UTF-8" /><title>M-Expressions</title><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="css/default.css" /><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="css/highlight.css" /><script type="text/javascript" src="js/highlight.min.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="js/jquery.min.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="js/page_effects.js"></script><script>hljs.initHighlightingOnLoad();</script></head><body><div id="header"><h2>Generated by <a href="https://github.com/weavejester/codox">Codox</a></h2><h1><a href="index.html"><span class="project-title"><span class="project-name">Beowulf</span> <span class="project-version">0.3.0-SNAPSHOT</span></span></a></h1></div><div class="sidebar primary"><h3 class="no-link"><span class="inner">Project</span></h3><ul class="index-link"><li class="depth-1 "><a href="index.html"><div class="inner">Index</div></a></li></ul><h3 class="no-link"><span class="inner">Topics</span></h3><ul><li class="depth-1 "><a href="intro.html"><div class="inner"><span>beowulf</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-1 current"><a href="mexpr.html"><div class="inner"><span>M-Expressions</span></div></a></li></ul><h3 class="no-link"><span class="inner">Namespaces</span></h3><ul><li class="depth-1"><div class="no-link"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>beowulf</span></div></div></li><li class="depth-2 branch"><a href="beowulf.bootstrap.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>bootstrap</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-2 branch"><a href="beowulf.cons-cell.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>cons-cell</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-2 branch"><a href="beowulf.core.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>core</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-2 branch"><a href="beowulf.gendoc.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>gendoc</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-2 branch"><a href="beowulf.host.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>host</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-2 branch"><a href="beowulf.io.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>io</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-2 branch"><a href="beowulf.manual.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>manual</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-2 branch"><a href="beowulf.oblist.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>oblist</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-2 branch"><a href="beowulf.read.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>read</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-2"><div class="no-link"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>reader</span></div></div></li><li class="depth-3 branch"><a href="beowulf.reader.char-reader.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>char-reader</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-3 branch"><a href="beowulf.reader.generate.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>generate</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-3 branch"><a href="beowulf.reader.macros.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>macros</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-3 branch"><a href="beowulf.reader.parser.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>parser</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-3"><a href="beowulf.reader.simplify.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>simplify</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-2"><a href="beowulf.scratch.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree" style="top: -176px;"><span class="top" style="height: 185px;"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>scratch</span></div></a></li></ul></div><div class="document" id="content"><div class="doc"><div class="markdown"><h1><a href="#m-expressions" name="m-expressions"></a>M-Expressions</h1>
<html><head><meta charset="UTF-8" /><title>M-Expressions</title><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="css/default.css" /><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="css/highlight.css" /><script type="text/javascript" src="js/highlight.min.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="js/jquery.min.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="js/page_effects.js"></script><script>hljs.initHighlightingOnLoad();</script></head><body><div id="header"><h2>Generated by <a href="https://github.com/weavejester/codox">Codox</a></h2><h1><a href="index.html"><span class="project-title"><span class="project-name">Beowulf</span> <span class="project-version">0.3.0-SNAPSHOT</span></span></a></h1></div><div class="sidebar primary"><h3 class="no-link"><span class="inner">Project</span></h3><ul class="index-link"><li class="depth-1 "><a href="index.html"><div class="inner">Index</div></a></li></ul><h3 class="no-link"><span class="inner">Topics</span></h3><ul><li class="depth-1 "><a href="intro.html"><div class="inner"><span>beowulf</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-1 current"><a href="mexpr.html"><div class="inner"><span>M-Expressions</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-1 "><a href="values.html"><div class="inner"><span>Understanding values and properties</span></div></a></li></ul><h3 class="no-link"><span class="inner">Namespaces</span></h3><ul><li class="depth-1"><div class="no-link"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>beowulf</span></div></div></li><li class="depth-2 branch"><a href="beowulf.bootstrap.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>bootstrap</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-2 branch"><a href="beowulf.cons-cell.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>cons-cell</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-2 branch"><a href="beowulf.core.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>core</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-2 branch"><a href="beowulf.gendoc.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>gendoc</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-2 branch"><a href="beowulf.host.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>host</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-2 branch"><a href="beowulf.io.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>io</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-2 branch"><a href="beowulf.manual.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>manual</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-2 branch"><a href="beowulf.oblist.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>oblist</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-2 branch"><a href="beowulf.read.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>read</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-2"><div class="no-link"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>reader</span></div></div></li><li class="depth-3 branch"><a href="beowulf.reader.char-reader.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>char-reader</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-3 branch"><a href="beowulf.reader.generate.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>generate</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-3 branch"><a href="beowulf.reader.macros.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>macros</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-3 branch"><a href="beowulf.reader.parser.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>parser</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-3"><a href="beowulf.reader.simplify.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree"><span class="top"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>simplify</span></div></a></li><li class="depth-2"><a href="beowulf.scratch.html"><div class="inner"><span class="tree" style="top: -176px;"><span class="top" style="height: 185px;"></span><span class="bottom"></span></span><span>scratch</span></div></a></li></ul></div><div class="document" id="content"><div class="doc"><div class="markdown"><h1><a href="#m-expressions" name="m-expressions"></a>M-Expressions</h1>
<p>M-Expressions (mexprs) are the grammar which John McCarthy origininally used to write Lisp, and the grammar in which many of the function definitions in the <a href="https://www.softwarepreservation.org/projects/LISP/book/LISP%201.5%20Programmers%20Manual.pdf">Lisp 1.5 Programmers Manual</a> are stated. However, I have not seen anywhere a claim that Lisp 1.5 could <em>read</em> M-Expressions, and it is not clear to me whether it was even planned that it should do so.</p>
<p>Rather, it seems to me probably that M-Expressions were only ever a grammar intended to be written on paper, like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backus%E2%80%93Naur_form">Backus Naur Form</a>, to describe and to reason about algorithms.</p>
<p>I set out to make Beowulf read M-Expressions essentially out of curiousity, to see whether it could be done. I had this idea that if it could be done, I could implement most of Lisp 1.5 simply by copying in the M-Expression definitions out of the manual.</p>