Re: [Chicken-users] ditching syntax-case modules for the utf8 egg

[Kon Lovett]

Summary: I want a byte-string API. I want string integrations. I want  
global UTF8 strings.

Is Chicken to be a development tool for all kinds of software,  
including i18n applications for general users (my major focus, all  
indications to the contrary), or for in-house tools only.

Text is still the method for communication btwn people & machines.  
People like to use their native "tongue". Programmers like to use  
common APIs.

The current method of relying on (as opposed to using) integrations  
is unacceptable. But a separate namespace string API (for text  
strings, not binary strings) is also unacceptable. An arbitrary text  
algorithm should work w/ byte-strings & utf8-strings. The programmer  
using the algorithm makes the "call".

An application should be all byte-strings or all utf8-strings (Alex's  
concern about character indices noted). Where an algorithm is  
concerned solely with binary data in byte-strings then explicitly use  
a byte-string API. (The same could apply to UTF8 but the "generic"  
string API is fine for this case.)

I may be missing something but an algorithm that processes both text  
& binary data is pretty rare. While common sources & sinks exist  
there is usually a way to determine the "type" & direct the stream  
accordingly.

(IMHO the situation w/ numbers is actually worse.)

Best Wishes,
Kon