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Sat Aug 8 10:22:47 CEST 2009

letcc -> apply

It seems better to stick with the way things work right now, and use
only a single type of primitive.  This makes integration with C (the
eventual goal) a lot easier, and will prevent a lot of if-type style
code.

With `letcc' implemented as a special form, it is now possible to
create primitives that operate on continuations as data, creating new
continuations.  These values can themselves be applied.  This means
`apply' can be implemented as a continuation modification followed by
an application.

Yes, but.  The current k_apply type is a bit awkward, because it
evaluates from left to right, it will wait for the final argument
before coninuing with application.  Maybe it's simplest to support a
right-to-left app frame?

Before continuing, let's make the continuations somewhat abstract:
each with a parent slot in the first position.

Ok.

One way is to have a reverse k_apply: one that traverses the arguments
from right to left.  This way the `apply' continuation can be
constructed as an argument list, with the function value passed to it.
This would either require an extra reverse, or some re-arrangement in
the primitive call trampoline.

Or, a different kind of continuation could be made that ignores its
value, but passes closure to its parent continuation.

Basicly, such a continuation takes a value, ignores it, and passes
another value to its parent continuation.

Actually, this already exists: k_seq.

Indeed:  Using a continuation like this:
         
         _ -> (fn a1 a2 (begin _ a3))

will also ignore the supplied value and reduce to (fn a1 a2 a3).

    

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