lisp

Bilingual

Beating the Averages
2 months ago
- Viaweb was a pioneering Web-based application, launched in 1995, that allowed users to build online stores via a server-based interface.
- The software was uniquely written in Lisp, a language not typically used for commercial applications at the time, giving Viaweb a competitive edge.
- Using Lisp enabled rapid development and advanced features, allowing Viaweb to outpace competitors, who often relied on languages like C++ or Perl.
- The 'Blub paradox' explains why programmers often stick with familiar languages, blinding them to the superiority of more powerful languages like Lisp.
- Lisp's power stems from features like macros, which allow programs to manipulate code, leading to capabilities hard to replicate in other languages.
- Startups benefit from using technologies like Lisp that competitors underestimate, turning the slow adoption of new languages into a strategic advantage.
Programming Bottom-Up
2 months ago
- Top-down design divides a program into subroutines based on its purpose, while bottom-up design builds the language up to suit the problem.
- In Lisp, programmers create new operators as needed, causing language and program to evolve together until they fit naturally.
- Bottom-up design yields a smaller, more abstract language and a shorter program, reducing complexity and the number of components.
- Advantages include smaller and more agile programs, easier readability and modification, greater code reuse, and clearer design patterns.
- Bottom-up design is possible in other languages via libraries, but Lisp offers much broader powers for augmenting the language.
- This style is particularly suited to small groups, increasing individual productivity and enabling them to achieve more.
Lisp for Web-Based Applications
2 months ago
- The text is an excerpt from a talk given in April 2001 at BBN Labs in Cambridge, MA.
- The talk addresses requests from Slashdot readers for more details on the technical advantages of using Lisp in Viaweb.
- The speaker discusses specific technical benefits derived from using Lisp in the Viaweb project.
Being Popular
2 months ago
- Programming language popularity is driven by expert hackers, not by merits alone.
- Brevity is crucial for attracting hackers; verbose syntax hinders adoption.
- Hackability (allowing programmers to do what they want) is more important than brevity.
- Throwaway programs often evolve into major systems, so languages must be good for quick coding.
- Powerful, well-designed libraries are more valuable than core language features.
- Common Lisp's unpopularity stems from poor libraries and lack of a system to hack, not its syntax.
- Languages need time, a free implementation, a good book, and a target system to gain traction.
The Roots of Lisp
2 months ago
- John McCarthy's 1960 paper demonstrated how a programming language can be built from a few simple operators and function notation.
- Lisp, short for 'List Processing,' uses lists as a core data structure for both code and data.
- McCarthy's discovery is significant as a historical milestone and a model for modern programming trends.
- The C and Lisp models are described as two clean, consistent programming paradigms, with newer languages moving toward the Lisp model.
- Modern languages increasingly adopt Lisp features like runtime typing and garbage collection.
- Lisp's defining quality is its ability to be written in itself, which the article explains by retracing McCarthy's steps with Common Lisp code.
What Made Lisp Different
2 months ago
- Conditionals (if-then-else) were invented by McCarthy for Lisp and later spread to most languages.
- Functions are first-class objects in Lisp, treated as a data type like integers or strings.
- Recursion was first supported as a programming language feature in Lisp.
- Variables in Lisp are effectively pointers; values have types, not variables.
- Lisp introduced garbage-collection for automatic memory management.
- Programs are composed of expressions that each return a value, unlike the expression/statement distinction in Fortran.
- Lisp has a symbol type distinct from strings, allowing equality tests via pointer comparison.
- Code is represented using trees of symbols, enabling powerful macros (still unique to Lisp).
- The whole language is always available: no distinction between read-time, compile-time, and runtime, allowing syntax reprogramming and macros.
Revenge of the Nerds
2 months ago
- Programming languages are not equivalent; some are more powerful than others, and Lisp is a prime example of a powerful language.
- Managers (pointy-haired bosses) often choose mainstream languages like Java or C++ due to perceived safety and ease of hiring, ignoring the actual power of languages.
- Lisp, created in 1958, introduced many innovative ideas (e.g., conditionals, recursion, garbage collection) that are only now being adopted by mainstream languages.
- Using a more powerful language like Lisp can lead to significantly shorter code (7-20x shorter than C) and faster development, providing a competitive advantage.
- In demanding applications, the choice of language matters greatly; less powerful languages can hinder solving hard problems and limit innovation.
- The risk of using uncommon languages (e.g., compatibility, libraries, hiring) is often overstated; for serious projects, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
- Bottom-up programming and macros (unique to Lisp) allow writing programs that write programs, enabling powerful abstractions and code compression.
- Companies like ITA Software demonstrated that using Lisp can outperform competitors using mainstream technologies, exemplifying the 'recipe for making money'.
If Lisp is So Great
2 months ago
- Popularity of programming languages does not correlate with quality, similar to how Jane Austen's works are less popular than John Grisham's despite higher quality.
- Lisp appears difficult due to its unusual syntax, intimidating many potential users.
- Past excuses for avoiding Lisp, like being too slow, are no longer valid; now the excuse is circular—other languages are more popular.
- Popularity in programming languages is self-perpetuating due to more libraries, easier integration, and manager preferences.
- Despite lower popularity, Lisp's unique advantages ensure its survival, akin to Jane Austen's enduring novels.
History of T
3 months ago
- T was a highly influential Lisp implementation known for its clean design and optimization.
- Developed at Yale in the early 1980s by Jonathan Rees, T was an optimizing native-code Scheme system, a radical choice at the time.
- T introduced innovative implementation techniques like efficient data representations, a depth-first garbage collector, and fine-grain interrupt handling.
- The compiler, Orbit, used CPS (continuation-passing style) as an intermediate representation and was among the most optimizing Scheme compilers for years.
- T's development led to multiple PhD dissertations and influenced later languages and compilers, including SML/NJ and Scheme 48.
- The language design featured a clean object system with integrated assignment machinery and a consistent naming scheme.
- T's legacy includes contributions to functional programming, compiler technology, and garbage collection research.

Beating the Averages

Programming Bottom-Up

Lisp for Web-Based Applications

Being Popular

The Roots of Lisp

What Made Lisp Different

Revenge of the Nerds

If Lisp is So Great

History of T