From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me
X-Spam-Level: 
X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID
	autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4
X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit
X-Google-Thread: 103376,fa2cc518ef3b992c
X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public
From: Brian Rogoff <bpr@shell5.ba.best.com>
Subject: Re: scripting/extension language for Ada (was : Re: tagged types
 extensions)
Date: 2000/02/15
Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.4.21.0002150815170.3138-100000@shell5.ba.best.com>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 586177204
References: <389207CC.C16D80E8@averstar.com> <38971028.BB16D8A2@earthlink.net>
 <QyEl4.3727$Zd7.76187@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net>
 <Pine.BSF.4.21.0002010958400.9470-100000@shell5.ba.best.com>
 <3899F757.FAE131B3@free.fr>
 <Pine.A41.3.96-heb-2.07.1000205145911.104554A-100000@pluto.mscc.huji.ac.il>
 <389D43A6.786C7B79@free.fr> <wcc4sborclg.fsf@world.std.com>
 <Ogvo4.774$Qn4.18873@cmnws01.we.mediaone.net> <u1z6kivuq.fsf@infomatch.com>
 <881hft$9ac1@news.cis.okstate.edu> <883evq$spp$1@nnrp1.deja.com>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
X-Trace: nntp1.ba.best.com 950632396 206 bpr@206.184.139.136
MIME-Version: 1.0
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Date: 2000-02-15T00:00:00+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>

On Sat, 12 Feb 2000 blaak@infomatch.com wrote:
> In article <881hft$9ac1@news.cis.okstate.edu>,
>   dstarner98@aasaa.ofe.org wrote:
> > Given SML-NJ, what would it take for a ML shell besides some shell
> > functions that could be written in ML? I.e. would just a ML library
> > turn SML-NJ into what you're looking for?
> 
> I don't know. I suppose I would have to learn ML properly.

I would suggest learning OCaml rather than SML-NJ since the implementation
has properties you want if you're looking for a scripting-like tool. 

> Most lisps have decent macro systems with which one can write embedded
> languages fairly easily, allowing one to use, for example, a nice
> process invocation syntax. Can ML do this sort of thing?

There is a program called CamlP4 at http://caml.inria.fr/camlp4/index.html
I quote:

  Camlp4 is a Pre-Processor-Pretty-Printer for Objective Caml. It offers
  tools for syntax (grammars) and the ability to modify the concrete
  syntax of the language (quotations, syntax extensions). 

I haven't used it, but you could try that. I believe that this kind of
stuff is cutting edge research in statically typed FP, but old hat for 
Lispers (who don't worry about static typing). 

-- Brian