@c Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@c See the file guile.texi for copying conditions.
-@iftex
-@page
-@unnumbered Preface
+@node Preface
+@chapter Preface
-This reference manual documents Guile, GNU's Ubiquitous Intelligent
-Language for Extensions. It describes how to use Guile in many useful
-and interesting ways.
+This manual documents version @value{VERSION} of Guile, GNU's
+Ubiquitous Intelligent Language for Extensions. It describes how to
+use Guile in many useful and interesting ways.
-This is edition @value{MANUAL-EDITION} of the reference manual, and
-corresponds to Guile version @value{VERSION}.
-@end iftex
+@menu
+* Manual Layout::
+* Manual Conventions::
+* Contributors::
+* Guile License::
+@end menu
-@iftex
-@section Contributors to this Manual
-@end iftex
+@node Manual Layout
+@section Layout of this Manual
+
+The manual is divided into the following chapters.
+
+@table @strong
+@item Chapter 1: Introduction to Guile
+This part provides an overview of what Guile is and how you can use
+it. A whirlwind tour shows how Guile can be used interactively and as
+a script interpreter, how to link Guile into your own applications,
+and how to write modules of interpreted and compiled code for use with
+Guile. Everything introduced here is documented again and in full by
+the later parts of the manual. This part also explains how to obtain
+and install new versions of Guile, and how to report bugs effectively.
+
+@item Chapter 2: Programming in Scheme
+This part provides an overview of programming in Scheme with Guile.
+It covers how to invoke the @code{guile} program from the command-line
+and how to write scripts in Scheme. It also gives an introduction
+into the basic ideas of Scheme itself and to the various extensions
+that Guile offers beyond standard Scheme.
+
+@item Chapter 3: Programming in C
+This part provides an overview of how to use Guile in a C program. It
+discusses the fundamental concepts that you need to understand to
+access the features of Guile, such as dynamic types and the garbage
+collector. It explains in a tutorial like manner how to define new
+data types and functions for the use by Scheme programs.
+
+@item Chapter 4: Guile API Reference
+This part of the manual documents the Guile @acronym{API} in
+functionality-based groups with the Scheme and C interfaces presented
+side by side.
+
+@item Chapter 5: Guile Modules
+Describes some important modules, distributed as part of the Guile
+distribution, that extend the functionality provided by the Guile
+Scheme core.
+
+@item Chapter 6: GOOPS
+Describes GOOPS, an object oriented extension to Guile that provides
+classes, multiple inheritance and generic functions.
+
+@end table
+
+
+@node Manual Conventions
+@section Conventions used in this Manual
+
+We use some conventions in this manual.
+
+@itemize @bullet
+
+@item
+For some procedures, notably type predicates, we use ``iff'' to mean
+``if and only if''. The construct is usually something like: `Return
+@var{val} iff @var{condition}', where @var{val} is usually
+``@nicode{#t}'' or ``non-@nicode{#f}''. This typically means that
+@var{val} is returned if @var{condition} holds, and that @samp{#f} is
+returned otherwise. To clarify: @var{val} will @strong{only} be
+returned when @var{condition} is true.
+@cindex iff
+
+@item
+In examples and procedure descriptions and all other places where the
+evaluation of Scheme expression is shown, we use some notation for
+denoting the output and evaluation results of expressions.
+
+The symbol @samp{@result{}} is used to tell which value is returned by
+an evaluation:
+
+@lisp
+(+ 1 2)
+@result{} 3
+@end lisp
+
+Some procedures produce some output besides returning a value. This
+is denoted by the symbol @samp{@print{}}.
+
+@lisp
+(begin (display 1) (newline) 'hooray)
+@print{} 1
+@result{} hooray
+@end lisp
+
+As you can see, this code prints @samp{1} (denoted by
+@samp{@print{}}), and returns @code{hooray} (denoted by
+@samp{@result{}}). Do not confuse the two.
+
+@c Add other conventions here.
+
+@end itemize
-@ifnottex
@node Contributors
-@chapter Contributors to this Manual
-@end ifnottex
+@section Contributors to this Manual
The Guile reference and tutorial manuals were written and edited
largely by Mark Galassi and Jim Blandy. In particular, Jim wrote the
mechanisms and procedures. In addition, he wrote the documentation
for Guile's SRFI modules and modules associated with the Guile REPL.
-@iftex
-@section The Guile License
-@end iftex
+The chapter on GOOPS was written by Christian Lynbech, Mikael
+Djurfeldt and Neil Jerram.
-@ifnottex
@node Guile License
-@chapter The Guile License
-@end ifnottex
+@section The Guile License
+@cindex copying
+@cindex GPL
+@cindex LGPL
+@cindex license
Guile is Free Software. Guile is copyrighted, not public domain, and
there are restrictions on its distribution or redistribution, but
@itemize @bullet
@item
The Guile library (libguile) and supporting files are published under
-the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License version 2.1. See
-the file @file{COPYING.LIB}.
+the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License version 3 or later.
+See the files @file{COPYING.LESSER} and @file{COPYING}.
@item
The Guile readline module is published under the terms of the GNU
-General Public License version 2. See the file @file{COPYING}.
+General Public License version 3 or later. See the file @file{COPYING}.
@item
The manual you're now reading is published under the terms of the GNU
that module. Basically such code must be published on Free terms.
Scheme level code written to be run by Guile (but not derived from
-Guile itself) is not resticted in any way, and may be published on any
+Guile itself) is not restricted in any way, and may be published on any
terms. We encourage authors to publish on Free terms.
You must be aware there is no warranty whatsoever for Guile. This is
described in full in the licenses.
-@iftex
-@section Layout of this Manual
-@end iftex
-
-@ifnottex
-@node Manual Layout
-@chapter Layout of this Manual
-@end ifnottex
-
-The manual is divided into five parts.
-
-@table @strong
-@item Part I: Introduction to Guile
-Provides an overview of what Guile is and how you can use it. A
-whirlwind tour shows how Guile can be used interactively and as a
-script interpreter, how to link Guile into your own applications, and
-how to write modules of interpreted and compiled code for use with
-Guile. Everything introduced here is documented again and in full by
-the later parts of the manual. This part also explains how to obtain
-and install new versions of Guile, and how to report bugs effectively.
-
-@item Part II: Writing and Running Guile Scheme
-@itemx Part III: Programming with Guile
-Document all aspects of practical programming using Guile. This
-covers both the Scheme level --- where we provide an introduction to
-the key ideas of the Scheme language --- and use of Guile's @code{scm}
-interface to write new primitives and objects in C, and to incorporate
-Guile into a C application. It also covers the use of Guile as a
-@acronym{POSIX}-compliant script interpreter and how to use the Guile
-debugger.
-
-@c @strong{Part V: Extending Applications Using Guile} explains the options
-@c available for using Guile as a application extension language. At the
-@c simpler end of the scale, an application might use Guile to define some
-@c application-specific primitives in C and then load an application Scheme
-@c file. In this case most of the application code is written on the
-@c Scheme level, and uses the application-specific primitives as an
-@c extension to standard Scheme. At the other end of the scale, an
-@c application might be predominantly written in C --- with its main
-@c control loop implemented in C --- but make occasional forays into Scheme
-@c to, say, read configuration data or run user-defined customization code.
-@c This part of the manual covers the complete range of application
-@c extension options.
-
-@item Part IV: Guile API Reference
-Documents Guile's core @acronym{API}. Most of the variables and
-procedures in Guile's core programming interface are available in both
-Scheme and C and are related systematically such that the C interface
-can be inferred from the Scheme interface and vice versa. Therefore,
-this part of the manual documents the Guile @acronym{API} in
-functionality-based groups with the Scheme and C interfaces presented
-side by side. Where the Scheme and C interfaces for a particular
-functional area do differ --- which is sometimes inevitable, given the
-differences in the structure of the two languages --- this is pointed
-out and explained. In all cases the overriding principle is that all
-the reference documentation for a given functional area is grouped
-together.
-
-@c the core Scheme language and features that Guile implements. Although
-@c the basis for this is the Scheme language described in R5RS, this part
-@c of the manual does not assume any prior familiarity with R5RS in
-@c particular, or with Scheme in general. Basic Scheme concepts, standard
-@c aspects of the Scheme language and Guile extensions on top of R5RS are
-@c all documented from scratch, and organized by functionality rather than
-@c by the defining standards.
-
-@item Part V: Guile Modules
-Describes some important modules, distributed as part of the Guile
-distribution, that extend the functionality provided by the Guile
-Scheme core. Two important examples are:
-
-@itemize @bullet
-@item
-The @acronym{POSIX} module, which provides Scheme-level procedures for
-system and network programming that conform to the @acronym{POSIX}
-standard.
-
-@item
-The @acronym{SLIB} module, which makes Aubrey Jaffer's portable Scheme
-library available for use in Guile.
-@end itemize
-@end table
-
-
-@iftex
-@section Manual Conventions
-@end iftex
-
-@ifnottex
-@node Manual Conventions
-@chapter Conventions used in this Manual
-@end ifnottex
-
-We use some conventions in this manual.
-
-@itemize @bullet
-
-@item
-For some procedures, notably type predicates, we use @dfn{iff} to mean
-``if and only if''. The construct is usually something like: `Return
-@var{val} iff @var{condition}', where @var{val} is usually
-``@nicode{#t}'' or ``non-@nicode{#f}''. This typically means that
-@var{val} is returned if @var{condition} holds, and that @samp{#f} is
-returned otherwise. To clarify: @var{val} will @strong{only} be
-returned when @var{condition} is true.
-@cindex iff
-
-@item
-In examples and procedure descriptions and all other places where the
-evaluation of Scheme expression is shown, we use some notation for
-denoting the output and evaluation results of expressions.
-
-The symbol @samp{@result{}} is used to tell which value is returned by
-an evaluation:
-
-@lisp
-(+ 1 2)
-@result{} 3
-@end lisp
-
-Some procedures produce some output besides returning a value. This
-is denoted by the symbol @samp{@print{}}.
-
-@lisp
-(begin (display 1) (newline) 'hooray)
-@print{} 1
-@result{} hooray
-@end lisp
-
-As you can see, this code prints @samp{1} (denoted by
-@samp{@print{}}), and returns @code{hooray} (denoted by
-@samp{@result{}}). Do not confuse the two.
-
-@c Add other conventions here.
-
-@end itemize
-
-
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@c TeX-master: "guile.texi"
@c End:
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