Re: C++ program as a Lisp expression



Dihydrogen Monoxide wrote:
On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:24:00 +0000, Pixel // pinterface wrote:


People have been trying to give Lisp a more ALGOL-inspired syntax since
the day McCarthy discovered Lisp. It originally started with
M-Expressions[1]; at one point there was Dylan[2]. Many other attempts
were made. But in spite of years of attempts by various people to shirk
the parenthesi, Lispers still use S-expressions.

Maybe--just maybe--you'll manage to pull people from the C++ side closer
to lisp, but if history is any indication you aren't likely to attract
many lispers. They've tried other syntaxes and found them wanting.

I know the ()s are scary at first, but you get used to them, and
eventually take them for granted.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-expression [2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dylan_%28programming_language%29

And yes, this is just a more verbose version of what His Kennyness
already stated.


Oooh me like Dylan. Shouldn't that be Kenniness?

The first link on M-expressions says it all. While McCarthy was still doing the Chief Science Officer thing and "knew" from first principles or something that no one should be programming explicitly with the internal structure, the other people on the team were Actually Programming(tm) with Lisp and knew otherwise.

Now enjoy this because it may be the only time it ever happens:

What do you and McCarthy have in common?

Cure that and you can have the keys to c.l.l. I am being eased out to Poster Emeritus and you seem to be able to write without putting me to sleep.

kt

--
http://smuglispweeny.blogspot.com/
http://www.theoryyalgebra.com/
ECLM rant: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1331906677993764413&hl=en
ECLM talk: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9173722505157942928&q=&hl=en
.

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