Re: Considering Guile as part of a Master's Thesis

[Mikael Djurfeldt <mdj@nada.kth.se>]

"Bradley M. Kuhn" <bkuhn@ebb.org> writes:

> I am currently looking for Master's Thesis topic in a computer science
> graduate program.  I have a strong dedication to free (and in particular,
> GPL'ed) software, and I also like to find ways to "bridge the gap" between
> computer science theory and implementation.

You have my deepest respect.  This is a great attitude.

> What kind of research-like projects are currently needed for Guile?

Guile currently lacks a package system (how to organize Guile
libraries on disk, how to install new libraries, how to request
libraries from the source etc), and lacks an OOP system.  The current
module system must be replaced.

When thinking about these issues one notices extensive similarities
between these different types of systems.  For example, all three
systems deal with name spaces and name hiding (a library in one
package can have the same name as a library in another package; a
variable in one module can have the same name as a variable in another
module; an attribute in one class can have the same name as an
attribute in another class).

Therefore, the idea naturally arises if it is possible to combine the
package system, the module system and the OOP system into one single
system which can be made much simpler (at least conceptually and with
regard to usage).

This is actually what has already been realized in Java.  I think
everybody who has been working for real with Java agree that Java's
combined package, module and OOP "system" is both powerful and easy to
work with.

To develop such a system for Scheme is a highly interesting research
subject.  With access to the right supervisors, I think it is an
excellent subject for a MSc (or a PhD!).

Best regards,
/mdj