# geiser-chez > support for Chez Scheme in Geiser **Wikidata**: [Q108038752](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q108038752) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/geiser-chez ## Summary Geiser-chez is a free software extension for GNU Emacs that provides integration support for the Chez Scheme programming language within the Geiser development environment. Written in Emacs Lisp and maintained by José Antonio Ortega Ruiz, it acts as a bridge between the Emacs text editor and the Chez Scheme compiler. It is distributed as part of the NonGNU Emacs Lisp Package Archive (ELPA) under a 3-clause BSD License. ## Key Facts - **Entity Type:** Free software / Emacs Lisp package. - **Primary Function:** Provides support for Chez Scheme (an R6RS Scheme compiler) within the Geiser environment. - **Latest Stable Version:** 0.18 (released July 7, 2023). - **License:** 3-clause BSD License. - **Maintainer:** José Antonio Ortega Ruiz. - **Distribution:** Included in NonGNU ELPA (since August 7, 2021) and available via Gentoo (`app-emacs/geiser-chez`) and Guix (`emacs-geiser-chez`). - **Source Repository:** Hosted on GitLab at `https://gitlab.com/emacs-geiser/chez.git`. - **Aliases:** emacs-geiser-chez, Geiser-Chez. ## FAQs ### Q: What is the purpose of geiser-chez? A: Geiser-chez enables developers using GNU Emacs to interact with the Chez Scheme compiler directly through the Geiser interface. It provides features typical of an IDE, such as a REPL, code evaluation, and introspection capabilities for Chez Scheme. ### Q: Who maintains geiser-chez? A: The software is maintained by José Antonio Ortega Ruiz. It is part of the wider Geiser Project, which provides similar backend support for various Scheme implementations. ### Q: How is geiser-chez licensed? A: It is released under the 3-clause BSD License, a permissive free software license that allows for wide reuse and modification. ### Q: Where can the latest version of geiser-chez be found? A: The most recent stable release is version 0.18, published on July 7, 2023. It is available through the NonGNU ELPA and the project's GitLab repository. ## Why It Matters Geiser-chez plays a critical role in the Scheme programming ecosystem by bridging the gap between one of the most performant Scheme compilers (Chez Scheme) and one of the most powerful text editors (GNU Emacs). Chez Scheme, originally released in 1985, is renowned for its compiler technology and R6RS standard compliance, but utilizing it efficiently requires robust tooling. By integrating Chez Scheme into Geiser, this package allows developers to leverage Emacs' extensive editing capabilities—such as syntax highlighting, parentheses matching, and version control integration—alongside a live, interactive Scheme environment. Before tools like Geiser and its specific backends (like geiser-chez), setting up a seamless, interactive development workflow for Scheme could be fragmented. This package consolidates the workflow, enabling immediate feedback loops through a Read-Eval-Print Loop (REPL) within the editor. Furthermore, its inclusion in the NonGNU Emacs Lisp Package Archive (ELPA) as of August 2021 significantly lowers the barrier to entry, making it easily installable for a wide base of Emacs users without complex configuration. Its availability in major package managers like Gentoo and Guix further cements its status as a standard tool for the Chez Scheme community. ## Notable For - **Official NonGNU ELPA Inclusion:** It was added to the NonGNU ELPA on August 7, 2021, making it officially accessible to standard Emacs installations. - **R6RS Support:** It specifically targets Chez Scheme, which is a prominent implementation of the R6RS (Revised6 Report on the Algorithmic Language Scheme) standard. - **Cross-Platform Packaging:** Beyond Emacs, it has specific package definitions in Guix (`emacs-geiser-chez`) and Gentoo (`app-emacs/geiser-chez`), indicating active maintenance in the broader Linux community. - **Active Development:** The project has seen consistent updates, with versions 0.16, 0.17, and 0.18 released between 2021 and 2023. ## Body ### Technical Overview Geiser-chez is an Emacs Lisp library designed to run on the GNU Emacs platform. It functions as a module within the larger Geiser Project, which provides a generic environment for Scheme development. The "chez" module specifically loads the necessary configurations to spawn a Chez Scheme REPL within Emacs, handle communication protocols, and provide the backend logic for autocompletion and documentation lookup. ### Version History The software has maintained a steady release cadence in recent years: - **Version 0.16:** Released August 7, 2021. - **Version 0.17:** Released December 17, 2021. - **Version 0.18:** The current preferred stable version, released July 7, 2023. ### Availability and Installation The source code is publicly available on GitLab under the project `emacs-geiser/chez`. Users can download tarballs directly (e.g., `geiser-chez-0.17.tar.lz`) from the official mirrors. For users of the NonGNU ELPA, the package became available starting August 7, 2021. It is categorized as "Free software" and is compatible with the "Q3251801" operating system entity (as defined in the source data), reflecting its nature as a cross-platform Emacs package. ### Related Technologies Geiser-chez operates within a specific technological context: - **Dialect:** It is written in Emacs Lisp (inception 1985). - **Target:** It interfaces with Chez Scheme (inception 1985). - **Ecosystem:** It is part of the "Geiser Project" and distributed via "Emacs Lisp Package Archive." ## References 1. [Geiser-Chez version 0.16. 2021](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2021-08/msg00018.html) 2. [Geiser-Chez version 0.17. 2021](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2021-12/msg00026.html) 3. [Geiser-Chez version 0.18. 2023](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2023-07/msg00018.html) 4. [Source](https://elpa.nongnu.org/nongnu/geiser-chez.html)