Scheme Requests for Implementation

Scheme Requests for Implementation (SRFI) is an effort to coordinate libraries and extensions of standard Scheme, necessitated by Scheme's minimalistic design, and particularly the lack of a standard library prior to R6RS. SRFI is supported by many Scheme implementations and as such is an informal standard.

At the Scheme Workshop held in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 26, 1998, the attendees considered a number of proposals for standardized feature sets for inclusion in Scheme implementations.

Alan Bawden proposed that there be a repository for library proposals. Shriram Krishnamurthi volunteered to host the library, and Dave Mason and Mike Sperber joined him as initial editors and coordinators of the library process. The term "Request for Implementation," a play on the Internet "Request for Comments," was coined at the workshop, and modified to "Scheme Request for Implementation" by the editors.

On November 1, 1998, the srfi-discuss mailing list was established which had as subscribers many major implementors of Scheme as well as other contributors to the language. An archive of the discussion is kept online.

The SRFI website along with the other SRFI procedures was established in late December 1998.

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