Scheme is a functional programming language that belongs to the Lisp family. It is a minimalist dialect of Lisp with a simple syntax and powerful features. Scheme is known for its elegant design, expressive power, and emphasis on simplicity. It is often used in academia for teaching programming concepts and in industry for specific applications.
Scheme syntax is based on S-expressions, which are nested lists of elements. The basic syntax elements in Scheme are atoms (e.g., numbers, symbols) and lists. Here is an example of a simple Scheme expression:
(+ 1 2)
In this expression, + is the function and 1 and 2 are the arguments. Scheme uses prefix notation, where the operator comes before the operands. Scheme is a dynamically typed language, so variables do not have explicit types.
There are several popular implementations of Scheme, such as GNU Guile, Racket, and Chicken Scheme. These implementations provide compilers, interpreters, and development environments for writing and running Scheme code.
For editing Scheme code, developers can use text editors like Emacs with the Geiser extension or integrated development environments like DrRacket. These tools provide features such as syntax highlighting, code navigation, and REPL integration.
Scheme programs can be run from the command line using the Scheme interpreter or compiled into standalone executables using the Scheme compiler. Developers can also use libraries and frameworks to extend the functionality of Scheme and build complex applications.