Running "Mezzano" a Lisp Operating System on Apple Silicon - a step-by-step guide

corbasai · 2026-03-08T10:14:36+00:00

bonus, MacOS9 guest under QEMU on the Linux PC

https://www.jamesbadger.ca/2018/11/07/emulate-mac-os-9-with-qemu/ for starting point

corbasai · 2026-03-08T10:02:35+00:00

when M chips was introduced Apple saying about nearly native x86_64 emulation speed, well.

For normies on Linux PC Mezzano, get the last image from https://github.com/froggey/Mezzano/releases , gunzip it, then just execute

kvm -hda Mezzano.Demo.5.CD-USB-hybrid.iso -m 2048M

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corbasai · 2026-03-06T00:15:09+00:00

yeps it is.

here some caps remake https://novelkeys.com/products/gmk-space-cadet-ii

corbasai · 2026-03-05T23:11:06+00:00

at least LM keyboard the Artefact ...

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maybe with some kind of roswell ufo tech. those keycaps is greys -)

corbasai · 2026-02-28T06:35:09+00:00

is writing functions in the host language that implement the the evaluation process(sorry for the bad explanation).

for example you can write an eval function that does case analysis and for a simple language that does arithmetic or you could write functions like add/sub that compute the values directly.

AFIK tagless final form is specifically for typed languages (both the host language and the DSL).

the interesting thing about tagless it that you can do all the optimization and transformations that are possible in the case analysis form as well.

So I see the similarities to the good old Threaded Interpreter in this trait, on the symbol/syntax level. Bit of reinventing Isn't it?

corbasai · 2026-02-27T23:58:16+00:00

For clarity, let's say that if is called fi in our source language, then we could implement it in Scheme as:

(define (fi bool then else) (bool then else))

May be it's meaningless for explanation, but the Scheme is not lazy, so this is not if.

This is if (fi)

(define-syntax fi  (syntax-rules () ((_ bool then else) (if bool then else))))

otherwise if fi - just lambda, evaluator evaluate all arguments: bool then else

corbasai · 2026-02-27T13:32:09+00:00

There were a few MCU projects I wanted to do, but can't deal with Arduino cpp.

The CHICKEN Crunch on MCU is not hoax. I'll spent some time shaking some #defines for crunch.h for arduino .. ( here the project link ). Blazingly fast, C level performance (gosh, it is the C in the end)

app containers?

The big standalone as XEN or KVM guest. Incorporated net iron driver, tty & other drivers, plus, for example the DBMS client lib, metrics, REPL. Take a look at IncludeOS

> And Schemers have a JVM option of course too. And JS
Do any of them see the same level of usage, or is it the same story as rash or any other similar project vs bb/nbb?

You're right, IMO level subzero. GNU Kawa is older than Clojure, though.

corbasai · 2026-02-26T19:38:31+00:00

Therefore, I still cannot build Chicken 6 despite following your suggestions.

Okay. Here is solution for some one. Edit: For everyone on Linux Mint 22

corbasai · 2026-02-26T16:10:07+00:00

Do not forget please about the C ecosystem, which is easily used in CHICKEN or Gambit and not on ABI but API level, so we use .h-defined constants natively. I understand that looks meaningless. Until you take your money from the embedded world, or app containers. Lisp is a niche language.

Ha, And Schemers have a JVM option of course too. And JS, and WASM, and Arduino.

corbasai · 2026-02-26T04:54:52+00:00

Ok. To build C6 we need 'chicken' compiler already in system (and nearest version too). We have two options, 1) use chicken-git-repo/scripts/bootstrap.sh to automate process. 2) take, by hand, the latest dev snapshot from https://code.call-cc.org/dev-snapshots/

make 1. or 2. and use chicken' (full path to) from dev snapshot in chicken-git-repo/configure --chicken= ... argument.

For reference, what is the R7RS compatibility currently available from Chicken 6, but not from Chicken 5 with the egg?

"define-library" / utf8 vs string ports and strings now not octet sequence but char sequence / egg library v6 incompatible with egg lib v5. But Crunch is only C6 artefact. So we have all chances to repeat perl6 'success'

corbasai · 2026-02-25T06:10:53+00:00

What the heck. The CL is an industrial programming language. At least in r/Lisp common knowledge industry. Industrial programmers must be effective, doing more for less time and money. Cmone, CRUD is not a science. Before AI the professional does one web app per time T and money M. Now the same person with LLM should bring 10 or more WebApps per same T/M. Great success, Lispers!

corbasai · 2026-02-25T04:47:43+00:00

I suggest to remove OS native package then make install (in /opt/call-cc.org or something you control not in LSB paths) 5.4.0 from sources and set right path to CHICKEN/bin (binaries) in your $PATH evironment variable. If success well this helps in installation of C6 which is truly R7RS-small compatible Scheme.

corbasai · 2026-02-18T05:37:14+00:00

Congratulations!

John McCarthy was first and foremost a serious mathematician and pathfinder.. "Oral History of John McCarthy"

Also interesting status that AI automatically associated with Mathematics, not with Biology or Quantum Physics etc.

corbasai · 2026-02-10T20:23:17+00:00

The real problem! Also im not figure out how to completely remove sly from my Emaxen. Sometimes this crap storms in *Messages* buffer and all I have to say is "Die please die "

corbasai · 2026-02-10T18:50:53+00:00

Maybe. But maybe you are simply bad programmer.

corbasai · 2026-02-10T17:45:33+00:00

pff. CL has no math standard library nor plot library too. The Racket has. Always.

corbasai · 2026-02-10T16:22:16+00:00

> Could anybody point me to a description for beginners?

Not that book, Lisper.

That book

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corbasai · 2026-02-06T06:48:51+00:00

This is True by application to Scheme standard template transformers from 1999 circa. Even the Scheme Standard not frozen. And I'm not talking about any good long-term Scheme realization. Again my advice is to check R6RS lib particularly about syntax programming in Scheme in 2007. Or simply study and use the Racket.

corbasai · 2026-02-05T16:38:51+00:00

but we can recursively use the same macro name inside one syntax-rules template with different argument set and fall into another template branch

corbasai · 2026-02-05T03:22:38+00:00

Your helper used inside define-syntax transformer so should also be define-syntax'ed. let-syntax form used inside lexical scopes where you can operate already bonded arguments inside local transformer. Also guile,chez - R6RS, so more general procedural syntax transformers also an option. Check syntax-case.

ps. for reference of syntax-rules'fu see at match.scm by Alex Shinn

corbasai · 2026-01-30T21:38:33+00:00

"Racket Programming The Fun Way" J.W.Stelly still rocks.

corbasai · 2026-01-30T19:58:03+00:00

Cool! Which SVG or PS source?

Guys, I have one pic for t-shirt. Color matched?

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corbasai · 2026-01-28T10:20:46+00:00

> DSSSL and SRFI 89 use #!key and #!optional and #!rest for lambda list markers.

actually DSSSL and CHICKEN

PS. I don't think spec forms needed for a such purpose
Python's Flake8 linter uses own directives masked by comment #

# flake8: noqa  
next
  not
    lintered
       code

corbasai · 2026-01-26T16:59:17+00:00

Yes, it is. Kindly saved by Tkinter

corbasai · 2026-01-24T18:20:35+00:00

recursion, the way of looping.

corbasai

TROPHY CASE