This collection implements _Lazy Scheme_. It is available as a language level and as a module that can be used to write lazy code. Code that uses the "lazy.ss" as a module language: (module foo (lib "lazy.ss" "lazy") ...) is lazy code, which is implemented using standard promises: function applications are delayed, and promises are automatically forced. The language provides bindings that are equivalent to most of MzScheme and the list library. Primitives are strict in the expected places; struct constructors are lazy; `if', `and', `or' etc are plain (lazy) functions. Mixing lazy and strict code is simple: you just write the lazy code in the lazy language, and the rest as usual. The lazy language treats imported functions (that were not defined in the lazy language) as strict, and on the strict side you only need to force (possibly recursively) through promises. There are a few additional bindings, the important ones are special forms that force strict behavior -- there are severals of these that are useful in forcing different parts of a value in different ways: > (! expr) evaluates `expr' strictly (the result is always forced (over and over until it gets a non-promise value)). > (!! expr) similar to `!', but recursively forces a structure (eg, lists). > (!!! expr) similar to `!!', but also wraps procedures that it finds so their outputs are forced (so they are usable in a astrict world). > (!list expr) forces the `expr' which is expected to be a list, and forces the cdrs recursively to expose a proper list structure. > (!!list expr) similar to `!list', but also forces (using `!') the elements of the list. There are a few side-effect bindings that are provided as is. For example, `read' and `printf' do the obvious thing -- but note that the language is a call-by-need, and you need to be aware when promises are forced. There are also bindings for `begin' (delays a computation that forces all sub-expressions), `when', `unless', etc. These are, however, less reliable and might change (or be dropped) in the future. Multiple values --------------- Also, to avoid dealing with multiple values, they are treated as a single tuple in the lazy language. This is implemented as a `multiple-values' struct, with a `values' slot. > split-values is used to split such a tuple to actual multiple values. (This may change in the future.) > (!values expr) forces `expr', and uses `split-values' on the result. > (!!values expr) similar to `!values', but forces each of the values (not recursively). Making strict code interact with lazy code ------------------------------------------ To make it easy for strict code to interact with lazy code, use the _force.ss_ module: it provides the above bindings (as functions) that can be used to force promises in various ways. [More documentation will be added.]