HyperPatch: Revisions and Clarifications to the HyperSpec

Purposely deviating from the standard where the standard is wrong

What HyperPatch Is

The eventual goal of HyperPatch is to convert all sensible proposed ANSI revisions and clarifications to a machine-friendly form. As of yet, it doesn't come anywhere near that.

What HyperPatch Isn't

HyperPatch is not an extension to the ANSI standard or the HyperSpec, nor is it a place to add pie-in-the-sky thoughts about future Lisps to see how they look amongst the current standard. It also isn't intended to integrate current extensions to the ANSI standard (MOP, gray-streams), though I'm not strictly opposed to such a thing.

Where to Get HyperPatch

You can download HyperPatch as a plain patch file or a compressed one.

How to Use HyperPatch

  1. Get a copy of the HyperSpec
  2. Download HyperPatch
  3. apply (e.g., patch -p 1 -i hyperspec.patch)

If your system doesn't have a patch program or you don't know how to use it, I probably can't help you. If something about the patch is screwy so it refuses to apply, I can at least look at the problem. :)

Does HyperPatch resolve *my-favourite-issue*?

Probably not yet. But if you're curious, here's a (probably incomplete list) of resolved issues. A complete list can be found at the top of the patch file. Patches are, naturally, quite welcome (but please patch the HyperSpec, not the patch, because who really wants a patch patch?).

Legality

It is unfortunate that minor corrections to an otherwise fine document might be construed as a violation of that document's stated copyright and conditions of use, but I can only assume by the apparent failure of a similar thing to already exist such is the case. I also assume by the existence of the 'Proposed ANSI Revisions and Clarifications' page on cliki this patch is within acceptable limits--while the two may differ in format, they are and will likely remain markedly similar in substance.

Of course, that only covers half of the equation. The HyperSpec's conditions of use don't look favourably upon making modified copies, so actually applying the patch may itself be a violation of those conditions--albeit about as enforceable as saying you can't scribble in the margins of your own book.

Contacting the Generator

My e-mail address is pix@kepibu.org.