Using Gambit-C Scheme to Create Small, Efficient Native Applications

I used Gambit Scheme to create a full 3d iPhone game called Farmageddon. It is a very powerful Scheme system, with its focus on being very portable and low-level. Because of this, it lacks certain features you might find in other languages, like a module system and a large community.

sigil• 15 years ago

I really enjoyed your posts on scheme iOS development, and was saddened when the Apple rejection came. Any further developments on that front? Are you using scheme in anything else interesting these days?

By the way, I noticed there's a scheme interpreter in the app store called iScheme. I guess it doesn't make API calls, so it's okay?

jlongster3• 15 years ago

Thanks! I haven't used Scheme in a while because I got tired of focusing so much on something without a big community. I want to get back into it though, specifically with game development. Checkout http://jlongster.com/ over the next couple months and I'll start posting again.

Scheme is great but you should also involve yourself in a popular language with a big/fun community so you don't burn out. Seeing different perspectives is good anyway.

Looks like iScheme came out after they backed off of their only Objective-C/C rule. So it should be fine, simply because it doesn't download any scripts. I think that's the only restriction now.

nickmain• 15 years ago

Just wanted to thank you for your blog posts about this.

I am using Gambit in my own iPad development efforts and your instructions were invaluable !

wbhart• 15 years ago

This article looks a lot like a scheme tutorial to me. That is not to say that it isn't interesting and written well. It's just not what's advertised.

Anyhow, for some things Scheme can produce efficient applications. However, other things are extremely inefficient in Scheme. There's no way around the fact that C is still much better at producing small, efficient, native apps.

It's much easier to get things going in Scheme. But then when you want to finish off a project to a high standard, the language itself becomes the limiting factor. The lack of optional typing, lack of native 32 and 64 bit integers (for some things you really need all 64 bits), inefficient string handling libraries (especially substrings), lack of standardised object oriented stuff and standardised foreign function interface and a general lack of available efficient and full-functioned libraries all end up causing frustration.

mark_l_watson• 15 years ago

Cool, I wrote that article 18 months ago and I am glad to see it on HN. Chichen Scheme and Racket may have a lot more batteries-included type libraries available but Gambit-C with its custom Emacs support makes for a really nice developer experience. The ability to generate small native apps is great and it is a great tool. Marc Feeley also does a great job supporting it.

Since the article is 1 1/2 years old, you should check out the wiki http://dynamo.iro.umontreal.ca/~gambit/wiki/index.php/Main_P... because only covered what I needed for my own projects in the article..

Using Gambit-C Scheme to Create Small, Efficient Native Applications

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