Physche: A Little Scheme in Pharo
✒️ By Stéphane Ducasse with Guillermo Polito
Physche: A Little Scheme in Pharo is a concise, practical guide for anyone curious about language interpreters. Stéphane Ducasse and Guillermo Polito walk you through building a minimalist Scheme interpreter using Pharo, an object-oriented programming language. The book is perfect for programmers, educators, and hobbyists who want to learn by doing. With friendly explanations and clear examples, it demystifies the process of creating your own language tools.
Book Description
Have you ever wondered how programming languages are built? Physche: A Little Scheme in Pharo offers a hands-on journey into the world of interpreters. Authored by Stéphane Ducasse and Guillermo Polito, this booklet breaks down the steps to create a tiny yet functional Scheme interpreter from scratch using Pharo. The writing style is approachable, making complex concepts accessible for both beginners and seasoned developers.
This book is ideal for those who love tinkering with languages, educators looking for teaching resources, or anyone keen on understanding the mechanics behind interpreters. If you’ve enjoyed classics like “Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs,” you’ll feel right at home here. The authors also share personal insights and helpful references for further reading.
What You Will Learn
- The basics of parsing and interpreting Scheme code
- How to implement core language features like variables, lists, and functions
- Step-by-step creation of closures and environments
- Adding primitives and special forms to your interpreter
- How to model evaluation in an object-oriented environment like Pharo
- Best practices for building and extending small interpreters
- Where to find more resources on Scheme and language design
The book starts with a gentle introduction before diving into practical implementation details. You’ll write code that parses input, evaluates expressions, and supports essential Scheme constructs. Each chapter builds on the last, so you’ll see your interpreter grow from basic parsing to handling closures and special forms.
If you’re new to language design or just want a fun weekend project, this guide fits the bill. The authors’ enthusiasm for both Lisp-like languages and Pharo shines through, making the learning experience enjoyable. Plus, you’ll gain skills that transfer to other programming environments.
Pharo documentation is recommended if you’re unfamiliar with the platform. For those interested in going deeper into Scheme itself, check out Teach Yourself Scheme in Fixnum Days, which the authors mention as a favorite resource.
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