On Friday 16 April 2004 4:46 am, Ralph Boland wrote:

>> May I point out that I am developing a replacement
>> for SMACC. I expect my parser generator to be easier to use,
>> faster, and build smaller parse tables than SMACC.
>> I don't expect it to be ready soon and suggest that it not be used
>> for as widespread an application as the parser for Squeak until
>> it has been in the field for a while so I expect that you will
>> proceed with using SMACC.
>>
>> The syntax for my parser generator will be different from SMACC
>> so SMACC users would need to rewrite their grammars in order
>> to switch to my parser generator tool.
>  
>

How do you plan to license it?


Reply:

I haven't made a decision here but want to make it as accessable
as possible so I will probably make it GPL or something like that.

 * It is tempting to have a fee to go to charities 
(international red cross/crescent, world wildlife federation, medicin sans frontiers,
amnesty internation etc.).

 * As I am about to be unemployed it is also temping to charge a fee to recoup the
year or more of work that it's construction will take.

 * It also tempting to add a restriction that my software not be combined with
patented software.

However  these ideas will complicate its distribution so I will probably not
do them in the end.  For example, I hope would be happy to see Squeak use 
my parser generator tool for its compiler front end 
so I would not want to have any restrictions that might prevent this.

Perhaps I will try and form some kind group
such as the group that supports  Lyx (a gui on top of latex)
It is a product that will need ongoing development and support and I won't live 
forever so some kind of organization needs to be created somewhere.

Suggestions on this question welcome.

Note that although the initial release will be for squeak.  It is planned that 
the parser generator tool will eventually work with multiple languages.

Ralph Boland