>> Thank you, John, for your Herculean efforts during well over ten
>> years. It has been a great pleasure to be part of the process that
>> you have so ably led. Your vast knowledge of the topics of Scheme
>> standardization, Scheme history, the details of various
>> implementations; your prodigious output of SRFIs and other proposals;
>> the friendly, open, and fair manner in which you have run the process;
>> and the improvements in our collective vocabulary just from reading
>> your messages have all been impressive to behold.
> I spite of my expressed concerns about R7RS-large, I fully agree with
> what Arthur has written above.
> I feel for your disappointment of giving up on something you have put so
> much effort in:
> It was a noble effort, and we have all learned a lot. If nothing else,
> you can take well-deserved satisfaction in shepherding R7RS-small.
> Thank you.
Agreed on all counts.
When I came on the scene the default attitude among schemers was to have
endless turf wars about which implementation is 15% sparklier than
another. John's example in particular stood out like a lighthouse above
these rough seas. Instead of infighting, you have always been a tireless
champion of improving the whole. That's what it's all about. At the end
of the day, what's of value to humanity is a better overall language
with less friction and you have been working on exactly that.
Thank you in particular for giving new generations of schemers a chance
at a point when many old timers have given up hope that things will ever
improve. We will try our best to continue on the path you have laid, and
look forward to your participation should you find the time and energy
to make more contributions. Your massive knowledge base covering any
number of topics with precise recall has been an invaluable help on more
occasions than I can count.
I apologize for the unpleasant exchanges on R7RS-large. I would never
judge a project so harshly if it were not laying claim to the name of
Scheme. I am motivated by a sincere worry that the R6/R7 split will turn
into an R7/R8 split, and have tried my best to exhaust the polite
avenues for expressing that concern. I agree that a huge library is a
desirable thing and would be happy to see that goal come about through a
process fit for the purpose.