Re: New release of programming in bare m4

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Wow awesome

On Fri, Jul 25, 2025, 8:33=E2=80=AFAM Douglas McIlroy <douglas.mcilroy@dart=
mouth.edu>
wrote:

> A new version of www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~doug/barem4.m4 enables
> functional programming within m4. This thoroughly annotated
> implementation of barem4 uses no builtin macros other than `define',
> thereby demonstrating that the heart of m4 is Turing complete. In
> particular, it provides conditional execution and a full complement of
> arithmetic and comparison operations on unlimited-precision binary
> integers. The most notable advances over the original version are
>
> 1. Equality testing of arbitrary identifiers, not just predefined sets
> of identifiers.
>
> 2. Handling of encoded strings of alphanumerics.
>
> 3. Iteration over lists.
>
> 4. Higher order functions `foldl',  `foldr', and `zip' inspired by Haskel=
l.
>
> 5.  More exploitation of m4 to generate code for itself.
>
> A test suite, www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~doug/testbarem4.m4 accompanies the
> file of m4 definitions.
>
> Building on barem4, Eric Blake has made a simulator of an "intcode"
> computer capable of running impressive applications.
>
> Doug
>
>

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<div dir=3D"auto">Wow awesome</div><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote gmail_quot=
e_container"><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_attr">On Fri, Jul 25, 2025, 8:=
33=E2=80=AFAM Douglas McIlroy &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:douglas.mcilroy@dartmou=
th.edu">[email protected]</a>&gt; wrote:<br></div><blockquote c=
lass=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px soli=
d rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">A new version of <a href=3D"http://www=
.cs.dartmouth.edu/~doug/barem4.m4" rel=3D"noreferrer noreferrer" target=3D"=
_blank">www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~doug/barem4.m4</a> enables<br>
functional programming within m4. This thoroughly annotated<br>
implementation of barem4 uses no builtin macros other than `define&#39;,<br=
>
thereby demonstrating that the heart of m4 is Turing complete. In<br>
particular, it provides conditional execution and a full complement of<br>
arithmetic and comparison operations on unlimited-precision binary<br>
integers. The most notable advances over the original version are<br>
<br>
1. Equality testing of arbitrary identifiers, not just predefined sets<br>
of identifiers.<br>
<br>
2. Handling of encoded strings of alphanumerics.<br>
<br>
3. Iteration over lists.<br>
<br>
4. Higher order functions `foldl&#39;,=C2=A0 `foldr&#39;, and `zip&#39; ins=
pired by Haskell.<br>
<br>
5.=C2=A0 More exploitation of m4 to generate code for itself.<br>
<br>
A test suite, <a href=3D"http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~doug/testbarem4.m4" r=
el=3D"noreferrer noreferrer" target=3D"_blank">www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~doug/t=
estbarem4.m4</a> accompanies the<br>
file of m4 definitions.<br>
<br>
Building on barem4, Eric Blake has made a simulator of an &quot;intcode&quo=
t;<br>
computer capable of running impressive applications.<br>
<br>
Doug<br>
<br>
</blockquote></div>

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