Scheme Requests for Implementation (SRFI) is an effort to coordinate

libraries A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

and

extensions Extension, extend or extended may refer to: Mathematics Logic or set theory * Axiom of extensionality * Extensible cardinal * Extension (model theory) * Extension (proof theory) * Extension (predicate logic), the set of tuples of values t ...

of standard Scheme programming language, necessitated by Scheme's minimalist design, and particularly the lack of a standard library before Scheme R6RS. Specific SRFI documents are supported by many Scheme implementations. This, in effect, makes SRFI an informal standards process.

History

At the Scheme Workshop held in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 26, 1998, the attendees considered several proposals for standardized feature sets to include in Scheme implementations. Alan Bawden proposed that there be a repository for library proposals. Shriram Krishnamurthi volunteered to host the library, and Dave Mason and Mike Sperber joined him as initial editors and coordinators of the library process. The term ''Request for Implementation'', a play on the Internet ''

Request for Comments A Request for Comments (RFC) is a publication in a series from the principal technical development and standards-setting bodies for the Internet, most prominently the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). An RFC is authored by individuals or ...

'', was coined at the workshop, and modified to ''Scheme Request for Implementation'' by the editors. On November 1, 1998, the srfi-discuss mailing list was established which had as subscribers many major implementors of Scheme and other contributors to the language. An archive of the discussion is kept online. The SRFI website, along with the other SRFI procedures, was established in late December 1998. As of 2023, 245 SRFIs have been published, and new contributions and discussion continue.

References

External links

* * 1998 talk on SRFI history () * 2022 SRFI status report talk () Scheme (programming language) {{compu-lang-stub