Re: The GH interface. (was: Patch for gh.h)

[Neil Jerram]

>>>>> "Dale" == Dale P Smith <address@hidden> writes:

    Dale> Well, it (supposedly) provides for version independence.
    Dale> When you use the scm_ interface, you use a lot of macros
    Dale> that know about the details of internal structures.  The
    Dale> parallel gh_ routines are function calls.

Yes, but there is a very large number of equally portable and version
independent function calls in the scm_ interface as well.

    Dale> It should be possible to not have to recompile or even
    Dale> relink your app if you use the gh_ interface, even if the
    Dale> layout of SCM or other data structures change.  Look at the
    Dale> difference between gh_car and SCM_CAR for example.

Yes, but the car, cdr, etc. primitives are a special case.  (They are
implemented in eval.c around line 3423 according to the a's and d's in
the primitive name!)  The same argument does not apply to most
interfaces in gh_ and scm_; see for example the similarity between
gh_cons and scm_cons.

        Neil