Shaka Scheme

Shaka Scheme is a student driven software development project, the goal of which is to design and implement an interpreter for the Scheme programming language, conformant to the R7RS standard. Shaka Scheme, once completed, will be the only Scheme implementation developed entirely in C++, using modern C++11/C++14 idioms. One of the motivating factors behind this undertaking is to provide a model code-base and learning tool for novice/intermediate software engineers who are interested in programming language design and implementation.

I have been team leader and lead developer of the core systems task group since I joined this project in Spring 2017. My primary development tasks and accomplishments have included the following:

• Implementing the base classes for numeric data types, including the initial scaffolding for the full numeric tower required by R7RS.
• Implementing a Heap Virtual Machine as the core evaluation machine driving the interpreter.
• Implementing core language constructs including stack frames, closures, and first-class continuations.
• Overseeing development of the compiler which complements the VM as part of the evaluation mechanism.
• Implementing numerical standard library procedures, including transcendental trigonometric and logarithmic functions.

By participating in this project, I have learned a variety of software development idioms and best practices including object oriented design, test-driven development, source control management, and agile software development. This project has taught me a lot about how programming languages are implemented, and has provided me with the inspiration to pursue other language implementation projects in the future.

Source: UH Manoa Transpiler Project