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LISP

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List processing language, one of the earliest programming language to feature a garbage collector. Popular in early AI research but is also used as a scripting language in packages such as Emacs, later variants have gained functional programming features and most variants have also gotten some object-oriented features, but referring to any LISP variant as an object-oriented or a functional programming language is taking religious fervour a step too far.

The main problem LISP originally had in gaining any mainstream acceptance as a programming language was simply performance related, while LISP was perfectly acceptable for writing small programs in, large programs could only be done cost effectively after the advent of virtual memory, but that only happened in the late 60's on mainframes, in the 80's for minicomputers and workstations and in the 90's for microcomputers and by that time the LISP world had become so fragmented that it had difficulty maintaining any traction.

Common Lisp (CL)

A dialect of LISP that adds functional programming, object-oriented and procedural features. It originally was instigated by the USA's department of defence in the early 1980's as LISP variants used by contractors were starting to become so diverse that porting of code between projects was becoming difficult. The object-oriented features introduced with Common Lisp is usually referred to by its initials or CLOS, for Common Lisp Object System.

Scheme

A version of LISP introduced in the 1970's that cuts down the language considerably but at the same time adds some functional features.

A list of OS/2 implementations of LISP

Libraries

  • Snappy - Compression lib. - Open Source - Current.

Foreign libraries with LISP or Scheme bindings

  • LibcURL - Internet URL (WWW, FTP, etc) access (LISP + Scheme) - Open Source - Current.
  • Snappy - Compression lib. - Open Source - Current.

LISP related programmer's utilities

  • Exuberant ctags - Creates index files out of Scheme and LISP source files - Open source - Current.

OS/2 text & programmers editors with LISP support

  • Boxer - LISP syntax highlighting support built in - Commercial - Discontinued.
  • jEdit - Java based - LISP and Scheme syntax highlighting built in - Current.
  • Lugaru Epsilon - LISP syntax highlighting and autoindent available as a separate download. - Commercial.

LISP source code snippets, archives and collections

Small programs or routines that you can integrate into your own programs or study to learn from, but are not delivered in library form.

A list of DOS implementations of LISP

Closely related languages

DOS text & programmers editors with LISP support

  • Boxer - LISP syntax highlighting support built in - Commercial - Discontinued.

A list of LISP implementations that run under WinOS/2

A list of LISP implementations that run under Java

Related languages
  • Clojure - Functional language that uses LISP syntax.

A list of LISP implementations in JavaScript

Related languages

Publications

Books

English
  • Patrick Henry Winston and Berthold K.P. Horn: Lisp (Third edition) - 1989 - Addison-Wesley - ISBN 0-201-08319-1
An older version of the book is available for download here in PDF format.
German
  • Ernst D. Schmitter: Praktische Einführung in LISP. - 1987 - Hofacker - ISBN 3-88963-229-7
  • Peter P. Bothner und Wolf-Michael Kähler: Programmieren in LISP: Eine elementare und anwendungsorientierte Einführung - 1993 - Vieweg+Teubner Verlag - ISBN 3528053232

Articles and papers

Links

Standards

Since the original Common Lisp proposal by the Department of Defence had a large number of errors in it, this document is commonly used as a definition of the original Common Lisp since it clears up most of the errors.
  • ANSI Common Lisp - ANSI INCITS 226-1994 (X3.226-1994)