Tag Archives: Lisp

Python for Lisp Programmers

Posted on 2018-06-05 by jcs

Back in 2000, Peter Norvig was getting complaints that the code in his and Stuart Russell’s book, Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach was in Lisp, that many of the students using the book didn’t know Lisp, and that they didn’t … Continue reading →

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SBCL 1.4.6

Posted on 2018-04-03 by jcs

Most of my Lisp programming lately has been in Emacs-lisp so it’s been a few months since I’ve used Common Lisp. The other day, though, I noticed that Version 1.4.6 of Steel Bank Common Lisp (SBCL) had just been released … Continue reading →

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Setting Up a Lisp Development Environment

Posted on 2017-08-21 by jcs

For a language as old as Lisp, there are a surprising number of queries asking how to set up a Lisp environment. If you’re a Lisper, your answer to this is probably Emacs/Slime/Quicklisp and one of the Lisp systems such … Continue reading →

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Lisp Runtime Redefinition

Posted on 2017-08-09 by jcs

One of the things I love most about programming in Elisp is what I (and others) call interactive programming. You can write a little snippet of code—even as small as an expression—and try it out immediately without having to build … Continue reading →

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The Most Beautiful Program Ever Written

Posted on 2017-07-29 by jcs

If you’re a lisper and enjoy Scheme, you may like William Byrd’s video on The Most Beautiful Program Ever Written. Unless you’ve been immersed in the Lisp culture, it’s probably not what you think. According to Byrd, the most beautiful … Continue reading →

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SBCL 1.3.17

Posted on 2017-04-30 by jcs

I’ve been a little lax about keeping SBCL up to date but when I saw the announcement for SBCL 1.3.17, I downloaded, compiled, and installed it before I forgot. You can get your copy here. I always build from source … Continue reading →

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A Beautiful On-line Version of SICP

Posted on 2017-03-23 by jcs

If, like me, you’re a lover of SICP (Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs) you’ll be happy to know that there’s a beautiful on-line version of it available. Years ago, MIT generously put up a version but some of the … Continue reading →

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Guile 2.2

Posted on 2017-03-16 by jcs

The long awaited 2.2.0 version of Guile has been released. This version is a significant update to the Guile system. It includes a new compiler and VM and several other performance enhancing changes. They even boast a complete Elisp emulation. … Continue reading →

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Starting with Scheme

Posted on 2017-02-18 by jcs

Mike Zamansky has an interesting post on using Scheme as a first language for CS instruction. That’s not a new idea, of course. MIT’s famed 6.001 course (Entry Level Computing) used Scheme and SICP for years. Their course was adopted … Continue reading →

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SBCL 1.3.9 Released

Posted on 2016-09-07 by jcs

Steel Bank Common Lisp’s newest version, 1.3.9, is ready for download at the usual place. This month’s release is a small one that fixes a bug, optimizes some operations with complex numbers, and adds an enhancement that helps with garbage … Continue reading →

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