1.2 Technology overview

Vicare Scheme provides the programmer with many advantages:

Optimizing code generator

The compiler’s backend employs state of the art technologies in code generation that produce fast, efficient, machine code. When developing computationally intensive programs, one is not constrained by using a slow interpreter.

Fast incremental compilation

Every library and script is quickly compiled to native machine code. When developing large software, one is not constrained by how slow the batch compiler runs.

Robust and fine–tuned standard libraries

The standard libraries are written such that they perform as much error checking as required to provide a safe and fast runtime environment.

Multi–generational garbage collector

The BiBOP based garbage collector used in Vicare allows the runtime system to expand its memory footprint as needed. The entire 32-bit virtual address space could be used and unneeded memory is released back to the operating system.

Supports many operating systems

Vicare runs on GNU+Linux; it should work on POSIX platforms, but not on Cygwin.