SML# Project

SML# is a new programming language in the Standard ML family being developed at RIEC (Research Institute of Electrical Communication), Tohoku University jointly with Sanpu Koubou Inc. Its design goal is to provide a moderate but practically important extensions (see features of SML#) while maintaining the compatibility of the Definition of Standard ML.

SML# is being developed by the SML# Developement Team.

The history and the name.

In 1993, Atsushi Ohori extended the Standard ML of New Jersey compiler with record polymorphism at Kansai Laboratory of Oki Electric, and named the experimental prototype SML# of Kansai. This name symbolizes record polymorphism of the field selector # of SML. The Internet still remembers my old posting of SML# (to the types mailing list, if I remember correctly).

To support not only record polymorphism but also interoperability and other practically important features, we decided to develop a new SML-style language from scratch, and started the SML# compiler project at Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. In April 2006, the project has moved to Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University.

Sponsor.

The SML# project has been supported by Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technologies (MEXT) through the MEXT e-Society project under the title: ``dependable software development technology based on static program analysis.''