Lisp is a (family of) general purpose functional programming language(s), based on the lambda calculus, and with the ability to manipulate source code as a data structure.
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Why is the c family the standard CS study regiment for Mathematics/CS programs instead of the LISP family?
I have been familiarizing myself with LISP for self improvement purposes. One of the things I have noticed is that LISP is much more within the paradigm of Mathematics than say C. The syntax and ...
10
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8answers
627 views
Choosing between CL and Python for web development
I'm coming from a Java / PHP background and after I read this little essay by Paul Graham I started wondering about picking up a new language namely Common Lisp to speed up my work (I'm a web ...
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7answers
1k views
Is there a language more general than Lisp? [closed]
I've been programming for a long time, and writing in Lisp (well, mostly Scheme) for a little less. My experience in these languages (and other functional languages) has informed my ability to write ...
16
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3answers
995 views
Why does the Lisp community prefer to accumulate all the parentheses at the end of the function?
Why does the Lisp community prefer to accumulate all the parentheses at the end of the function:
(defn defer-expensive [cheap expensive]
(if-let [good-enough (force cheap)]
good-enough
...
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5answers
523 views
Wrapping my mind around prefix notation?
I'm reading about LISP.
I understand how prefix notation works at a certain level, but I was wondering if there are any tricks to making it intuitive.
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11answers
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Is there a language offering LISP-like macros with a more complex syntax?
LISP's macros are extremely powerful constructs, and the inability to introspect and modify the program itself beyond the method signature level has always struck me as a limitation. Yet I favour ...
5
votes
1answer
727 views
Marriage of Lisp and LaTeX - has it been done?
I like LaTeX, but I find its macro system and logic both complex and weak.
languages such as Schem/Lisp/Clojure are very good at macros. I imagine the entire document written in a lisp family ...
3
votes
3answers
578 views
Lisp: Benefits of lists as code over arrays as code?
Question for lisp programmers:
Lisp code is lisp data, usually lists. Is there an advantage to code being lists over code being arrays?
Would macros be easier to write/faster to run?
You can ...
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votes
3answers
315 views
Why does the iterative version take longer?
I was looking over at http://programming.lispdream.com/blog/2011/06/recursion-vs-iteration/ and I saw that on his implementation of the recursive and iterative implementations of the factorial ...
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9answers
3k views
Good videos and podcasts on Functional Programming? [closed]
Can you recommend some good downloadable podcasts and videos on Functional Programming languages. Pure and non pure: Scala, Haskell, ML, Miranda, Scheme, Lisp, Erlang, Clojure, Jaskell, Functional ...
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9answers
1k views
What did Stallman mean in this quote about implementing other languages in Lisp?
I just read the following quote from Stallman as part of a speech he gave many years ago. He's talking about how it is feasible to implement other programming languages in Lisp, but not feasible to ...
14
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2answers
1k views
In what area is LISP's macro better than Ruby's “ability” to create DSL
One of things that makes Ruby shine is the ability to create Domain Specific Languages better, like
Sinatra
Rspec
Rake
Ruby on Rails' ActiveRecord
Though one can duplicate these libraries in LISP ...
5
votes
2answers
239 views
Is the Lisp “family” of languages any more closely related than the “C-like-syntax” family?
I was recently thinking about the large variety of lisp languages, specifically the fact that while they all have similar syntax, and could all in theory be implemented from the same small set of ...
4
votes
3answers
1k views
Lisp popularity on the rise. Anyone know why? Seen this first hand?
I recently found this article/table: http://www.tiobe.com/index.php/content/paperinfo/tpci/index.html
It shows a big rise in Lisp's popularity. Does anyone know more about this? What applications ...
3
votes
1answer
119 views
Are the “practical” chapters at the end of the Siebel's PCL book supposed to be skipped during the first pass?
Just completed the first pass through Peter Siebel's Practical Common Lisp. I'm fairly comfortable with C#, Ruby, Java; The chapters that teach Lisp and the early 'practical' chapters were easy on my ...
3
votes
1answer
323 views
Where can I read exemplary Scheme code?
Edi Weitz's libraries are often brought up when people ask for exemplary code in Common Lisp, the kind to read and learn from. Are there any open-source Scheme projects or libraries that you can ...
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7answers
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What are the reasons why Clojure is hyped and PicoLisp widely ignored?
I recently discovered the Lisp family of programming languages, and it's definitely one of the more diverse and widespread families in the programming language world. I like Elisp because that most ...
16
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5answers
2k views
Is there any evidence that lisp actually is better than other languages at artificial intelligence?
There seems to be a long-held belief (mainly by non-lispers) that lisp is better than most languages at AI.
Where did this belief originate? And is there any basis in fact to it?
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11answers
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Why isn't Lisp more widespread?
I am starting to learn Scheme by the SICP videos, and I would like to move to Common Lisp next.
The language seems very interesting, and most of the people writings books on it advocate that it has ...
15
votes
7answers
2k views
Advantage of Learning Lisp for a Python Programmer
I am primarily a Python, Java, C++ programmer, and I've gained a recent interest in functional language. I'm thinking of picking up a LISP dialect: Clojure. Now, I've been working through tutorials ...
8
votes
9answers
559 views
Resources for improving your comprehension of recursion? [closed]
I know what recursion is (when a patten reoccurs within itself, typically a function that calls itself on one of its lines, after a breakout conditional... right?), and I can understand recursive ...
11
votes
7answers
3k views
LISP : What would be the best editor of choice for a newbie (other than Emacs)? [closed]
I'm looking to learn LISP, and I'm looking for a good editor, which I don't have to learn from scratch (mentioning it as I'm totally unfamiliar with Emacs). I'm a more/less proficient VIM user, and am ...
85
votes
18answers
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Is LISP still useful in today's world? Which version is most used?
I try to teach myself a new programming language in regular intervals of time. Recently, I've read how Lisp and its dialects are at the complete opposite end of the spectrum from languages like C/C++, ...
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votes
10answers
2k views
Would you use (a dialect of) LISP for a real-world application? Where and why?
LISP (and dialects such as Scheme, Common LISP and Clojure) haven't gained much industry support even though they are quite decent programming languages. (At the moment though it seems like they are ...
28
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7answers
2k views
C# Dev - I've tried Lisps, but I don't get it
After a few months of learning about and playing with Lisp, both CL and a bit of Clojure, I'm still not seeing a compelling reason to write anything in it instead of C#.
I would really like some ...
2
votes
2answers
411 views
Clojure: Adding functions to defrecord without defining a protocol
A record can implement protocols. However, each time I think of a new function that I would like the record to implement, I have to add it to an existing protocol or create a new protocol. How do I ...
74
votes
5answers
16k views
Scheme vs Common Lisp: Which characteristics made a difference in your project? [closed]
There are no shortage of vague "Scheme vs Common Lisp" questions on both StackOverflow and on this site, so I want to make this one more focused. The question is for people who have coded in both ...
10
votes
2answers
425 views
Strategy / resources for writing LISP webservices?
Background: I'm looking to write some fully functional webservices in Common Lisp as an April Fools prank on the rest of the development team at my company.
There are two pieces to this: reading info ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views
What is the best JVM Lisp for writing a video game?
This video game won't be super fancy, but the idea is for it to have a moderate amount of functionality. Thoughts?
Edit:
Fast would be nice.
Another edit:
This is what I want:
To be able to ...
26
votes
4answers
981 views
What does your Lisp workflow look like?
I'm learning Lisp at the moment, coming from a language progression that is Locomotive BASIC -> Z80 Assembler -> Pascal -> C -> Perl -> C# -> Ruby. My approach is to simultaneously:
write a simple ...
10
votes
4answers
629 views
What should I learn from Scheme?
I was wondering what unique features I can learn from Scheme that would help me become a better programmer?
I have a lot experience in mainstream languages, and I am looking to expand my horizons ...
5
votes
6answers
504 views
Challenges for the experienced coder to learn functional programming?
What are the challenges that an experienced programmer with the usual C++/UNIX background would face when trying to learn functional programming? The main motive for learning is to gain a fresh ...
4
votes
3answers
612 views
Is macros support in a programming language considered harmful?
The first abuse that comes to my mind in C is:
#define if while
But at the same time it is extremely handy and powerful when used correctly.
Something similar happens with Common Lisp macros.
...
36
votes
9answers
2k views
How should I start with Lisp?
I've been programming for years now, working my way through various iterations of Blub (BASIC, Assembler, C, C++, Visual Basic, Java, Ruby in no particular order of "Blub-ness") and I'd like to learn ...
23
votes
6answers
7k views
Haskell AND Lisp vs. Haskell OR Lisp
I currently code with C, C++, and Python. I'm wanting to pick up a functional programming language, and right now I'm leaning toward Haskell. I do NOT want to start a "Haskell vs Lisp" war here; what ...
30
votes
17answers
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Why is Lisp useful?
Lisp obviously is an advantage for the AI stuff but it doesn't appear to me that Lisp is any faster than Java, C#, or even C. I am not a master of Lisp, but I find it incredibly difficult to ...
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votes
3answers
1k views
Is there a canonical tutorial or book on functional programming concepts?
Coming from a procedural/OO programming background, I tend to write Scheme programs in a procedural fashion. I would be intersted in learning Scheme or Lisp in a functional way from the ground up, to ...
