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Try Gerbil Scheme in the Browser

Try Gerbil Scheme in the Browser

by agambrahma·Mar 16, 2026·9 points·1 comment
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AI Analysis

●●SolidNiche GemCozy

Real Gerbil Scheme REPL in browser with persistent state between expressions.

Strengths
  • •Persistent REPL state between expressions enables actual interactive development workflows.
  • •Guided examples cover actors and pattern matching beyond basic syntax demos.
  • •Snippet sharing via short URLs makes collaboration and teaching easier.
Weaknesses
  • •Browser-based language playgrounds are common—JSFiddle, CodePen, and others exist.
  • •Niche audience limits adoption; Scheme isn't exactly trending in 2026.
Target Audience

Scheme programmers and functional programming enthusiasts

Similar To

REPL.it · CodePen · JSFiddle

Post Description

Gerbil is a Scheme built on Gambit that compiles to native code via C. It has an actor-oriented concurrency model, a rich module system, and a batteries- included stdlib. I built a browser playground to make it easy to try without installing anything.

Briefly: - A real REPL with state that persists between expressions - 10 guided examples from basic Scheme through pattern matching, hash tables, higher-order functions, and actors (but, do go to https://cons.io for the full docs) - A scratchpad for multi-line code that evaluates into the live REPL session - Snippet sharing via short URLs

To keep this short, some implementation details here: https://abacusnoir.com/2026/03/15/a-playground-for-gerbil-sc...

(Does have limitations in this early version, see the post for details on those too)

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