Subject: DrScheme user

From: Mark Connolly <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1999 21:53:00 -0400

Just a quick note (prompted by your help desk) to say I am a (neophyte)
DrScheme user.  In unreal life I am an application architect designing a
general security architecture based on public key certificates,
deploying a public key infrastructure and working on standard
implementation models for secure browser-based access to internal
applications and resources.  In more exciting times I am being prodded
by my buddy Mike to learn Scheme and do real (avocational) programming
-- Mike is a software aesthetician, a position he has invented for
himself.  My wife happens to be working on a Master's Degree for the
application of finite fields in cryptography.  Seems like helping her on
the programming side would be an excellent way to learn a little Scheme
and a little finite fields.  I found DrScheme after getting frustrated
with MIT Scheme -- which was good, but just too awkward to use.  I am
quite impressed with DrScheme and have also futzed about with threads
and UI components in MzScheme and MrEd.  So far I am very impressed.

On the pedagogical side, I find your help desk quite helpful.  Much good
thought has gone into design and realization.  I am combining your stuff
with Simply Scheme [Brian Harvey and Matthew Wright] and Structure and
Interpretation of Computer Programs [Abelson Sussman Sussman].  This is
all a refreshing change from working with the vo-tech huddled masses
entering the programming job market (things I'd rather not hear: "Brain
surgery?  I dissected a fetal pig in High School.  Close enough?"
"Bridge design? I had an erector set as a kid."  "Application design?  I
have written VBA macros for Excel.").  Keep up the good work and keep
pushing for those support dollars.