Goeteia: Self-Hosted Scheme Compiler

Goeteia is a Scheme web programming tool that stands out for its ability to compile to WebAssembly (Wasm) directly in the browser. This compilation is made possible by the tool being self-hosted, meaning the compiler is written in the same Scheme subset that it compiles. This self-hosting capability allows for a unique level of efficiency and flexibility.

The self-hosted build process of Goeteia involves recompiling itself, a process that is checked for a byte-identical fixpoint in a Continuous Integration (CI) fashion on every change. This rigorous testing ensures the stability and reliability of the compiler.

One of the key features of Goeteia is its use of native Wasm GC (Garbage Collection) objects. This includes the use of unboxed fixnums (a type of integer) and GC structs, which are garbage-collected structures. This approach eliminates the need for a shadow heap in JavaScript, making the interaction with the host environment more straightforward.

Goeteia also supports advanced Scheme features such as hygienic macros, which are macros that avoid capturing variables from the surrounding scope, thus preventing unintended behavior. Additionally, it supports real closures with typed function references, facilitating efficient and flexible functional programming.

The performance of Goeteia is notable, with the ability to run a 100M-iteration loop in constant stack space and in approximately 150ms, demonstrating its capability for handling demanding computational tasks.