Quick Summaries

[Chris Harris]

Eric --

I think your summary-of-concept idea for the WWW pages is most 
excellent.  Some of the main things you talked about, ie garbage 
collection and basic functional language principals, could be helpful to 
at least some of us, like me, who are currently more high-level 
application writers and users than low-level OS-writers, in our (or 
perhaps just my?) effort(s) to understand what Tunes is all about....

In addition to summarizing basic concepts, I propose that we should also 
summerize the most predominant opinions.  If there is a question of 
whether Forth vs some other LLL is best, let's present both sides of the 
argument on a web page, and admit that we, as a whole project, are still 
undecided in this area.  Same with cooperative vs preemtpvie 
multitasking, purpose of the LLL, etc..  While it is good to have some 
rapid-fire, mailing list discussion, I think the presentation of ideas a 
bit more formally would be valuable -- especially if it could prevent 
Tunes from dying a flame-war-like death, which we certainly don't want.

Perhaps some of these opinions could be about such things as "what is 
Tunes?"  It seems to me that no two of us here have the same opinion on 
that question, and showing the diversity in opinion, not to increase 
argument and bitterness, but to find what thoughts we have in common, 
would be very useful.  Perhaps the low-level and the high-level people 
don't agree on everything; let's nonetheless find what there is in common 
between the two, and see if we can make the two interface through those 
common ideas.  The initial version of Tunes will not be perfect; let's 
admit that fact and work with what we can, improving the system as we learn 
from our mistakes.

A third sort of thing that might be helpful to see on the WWW pages are 
lists of what each subproject (or each subproject that is actually doing 
something) wants, needs or would appriciate from other people or
subprojects.  Right now, I'm thinking about what I'd like to try to do in 
relation to Tunes (once some more time frees up).  Perhaps I'm not 
qualified to help with the existing projects, and perhaps I should start 
something new and higher-level; or perhaps I could be of valuable service 
in advancing that of Tunes which does exist.

Enough babble...I think I'm off to study for finals...and then maybe 
dream about what I ought to add to Tunes....

-Chris