[chuck-users] before we extend ChucK... [was: Guile C++ wrap]

[Kassen]

On 22 March 2010 16:35, Robert Poor <rdpoor at gmail.com> wrote:

> These are all great ideas, but before we dazzle Ge and others with our
> brilliant extensions to ChucK, we might focus on getting one or two missing
> features implemented.  :) :)
>
>
I agree. What I am after here is still chiefly the updating of (some)
running code without losing the value of variables and the state of
processes around it. This has actually been on the wish-list since whenever.

Priorities as I see them should be;

* Filter-stability (or limiting of the main out). This should be on top as
it can actually be a real medical danger on OSX with headphones, IMHO
* The type-system muckups, This includes stuff like "Clemow's Bane", the
type of objects of a type that extends another, especially as they affect
being returned by functions, elements of arrays and so on. This is a whole
set of related issues that can crash ChucK outright and that affects a LOT
of non-trivial coding techniques. I believe this to be the main bottle-neck
in more advanced ChucKing right now. This causes crashes, incorrect errors
and on top ofthat we can't hope to talk about more advanced things without
addressing this cluster of bugs.
*Garbage Collection. Old as dirt, as a wishlist item, pun very much
intended. We a) need this finished and b) the bits that are already in there
need to stop collecting stuff that *does* have a reference (ie it's being
returned by a function).

items 2 and 3 are biggies (evidently) and I would never advocate -carefully-
progressing towards more advanced stuff without those. if we'd even try
there would be a mess of epic proportions, I predict.

As far as I know 2 and 3 (particularly 3, which we have known about for
longer) has actually been keeping up other features for a long time now. It
might sound conservative to the point of being non-ChucKian, I know I'm
being boring, but this is how I fear it is.

Yours,
Kas.
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