Scheme Interpreters

A catalogue of Scheme interpreters
Compiled by Nancy Tinkham, Rowan University

A number of interpreters are available for the programming language Scheme. Several of them are described below, with links to locations where the software can be downloaded and links to user's guides and other documentation.

Due to my interests, this list leans toward free, UNIX-based interpreters. However, several of them have implementations for other operating systems, including Windows, and one (Chez Scheme) is a commercial system.

Interpreter Authors Web site Terms of Use Platforms #T, #F display Help Load file Debugging Quit Other features

Scheme48 Richard Kelsey & Jonathan Rees User's Guide
Manual
Current version information
Distributed free as source code Various versions of UNIX, Windows #t, #f ,?
,help command;
,load filename ,trace function
,untrace function
,debug
,exit Implements the R⁵ standard

DrScheme Matthias Felleisen, Robert Bruce Findler, Cormac Flanagan, Matthew Flatt, Shriram Krishnamurthi, and others at Rice University DrScheme home page GNU Lesser General Public License UNIX with X, Windows, Mac OS X #t, #f in full version
true, false in beginners' versions
Menu selection: Help Menu selection: File/Open Under development Menu selection: File/Quit Several language versions: Beginning Student, Intermediate Student, Advanced Student, Full Scheme

MIT Scheme MIT MIT Scheme home page
MIT Scheme User's Manual
MIT Scheme Reference Manual
GNU General Public License Linux, Mac OS X, OpenBSD, Windows #t, ( ) ^C ?
^C returns to the interpreter
(load "filename") (trace function)
(untrace function)
(break function)
(unbreak function)
and others
Each of the listed commands can have -entry or -exit appended: trace-entry, etc.
(exit): halts Scheme
(quit): suspends Scheme

Chez Scheme,
Petite Chez Scheme Cadence Research Systems Chez Scheme Home Page
Chez Scheme User's Guide, by R. Kent Dybvig
Chez Scheme is a commercial system.
Petite Chez Scheme is distributed free.
Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, SunOS #t, #f None (load "filename") (trace function)
(untrace function)
(debug)
(exit) Petite Chez Scheme is compatible with Chez Scheme but uses an interpreter rather than a compiler. Both implement the R⁵ standard plus additional features.

Nancy Tinkham
Computer Science Department, Rowan University

Interpreter	Authors	Web site	Terms of Use	Platforms	#T, #F display	Help	Load file	Debugging	Quit	Other features
Scheme48	Richard Kelsey & Jonathan Rees	User's Guide Manual Current version information	Distributed free as source code	Various versions of UNIX, Windows	#t, #f	,? ,help command;	,load filename	,trace function ,untrace function ,debug	,exit	Implements the R⁵ standard
DrScheme	Matthias Felleisen, Robert Bruce Findler, Cormac Flanagan, Matthew Flatt, Shriram Krishnamurthi, and others at Rice University	DrScheme home page	GNU Lesser General Public License	UNIX with X, Windows, Mac OS X	#t, #f in full version true, false in beginners' versions	Menu selection: Help	Menu selection: File/Open	Under development	Menu selection: File/Quit	Several language versions: Beginning Student, Intermediate Student, Advanced Student, Full Scheme
MIT Scheme	MIT	MIT Scheme home page MIT Scheme User's Manual MIT Scheme Reference Manual	GNU General Public License	Linux, Mac OS X, OpenBSD, Windows	#t, ( )	^C ? ^C returns to the interpreter	(load "filename")	(trace function) (untrace function) (break function) (unbreak function) and others Each of the listed commands can have -entry or -exit appended: trace-entry, etc.	(exit): halts Scheme (quit): suspends Scheme
Chez Scheme, Petite Chez Scheme	Cadence Research Systems	Chez Scheme Home Page Chez Scheme User's Guide, by R. Kent Dybvig	Chez Scheme is a commercial system. Petite Chez Scheme is distributed free.	Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, SunOS	#t, #f	None	(load "filename")	(trace function) (untrace function) (debug)	(exit)	Petite Chez Scheme is compatible with Chez Scheme but uses an interpreter rather than a compiler. Both implement the R⁵ standard plus additional features.