History of T

19 hours ago

T was a highly influential Lisp implementation known for its clean design and optimization.
Developed at Yale in the early 1980s by Jonathan Rees, T was an optimizing native-code Scheme system, a radical choice at the time.
T introduced innovative implementation techniques like efficient data representations, a depth-first garbage collector, and fine-grain interrupt handling.
The compiler, Orbit, used CPS (continuation-passing style) as an intermediate representation and was among the most optimizing Scheme compilers for years.
T's development led to multiple PhD dissertations and influenced later languages and compilers, including SML/NJ and Scheme 48.
The language design featured a clean object system with integrated assignment machinery and a consistent naming scheme.
T's legacy includes contributions to functional programming, compiler technology, and garbage collection research.

Hasty Briefsbeta