Synopsis
Explore BALM, an extendable, Lisp-like language for powerful list processing.
BALM presents a practical look at an extendable intermediate language that blends ideas from LISP with dynamic data structures. The manual describes how variables, vectors, lists, and strings are manipulated, and how procedures and user-defined operations fit into the system. It also explains how the translator and macro-expansion work to turn high-level statements into internal forms, with an emphasis on flexibility and evolving versions.
- Learn how BALM handles untyped variables, dynamic storage, and garbage collection.
- See how vectors and lists intermove, with operations for indexing, copying, and assigning complex structures.
- Discover the macro system that defines unary, bracket, and infix operators, plus how to extend syntax safely.
- Understand how programs can be preprocessed, translated, and executed, with support for user-created procedures and languages.
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