Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!cadence!cadence!barnes From: barnes@cadence.com (Tim Barnes) Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp Subject: Re: extension languages can be darn small, yet still powerfull Message-ID: Date: 31 Aug 90 22:55:55 GMT References: <1990Aug26.205018.18067@cbnewsc.att.com> <1350028@otter.hpl.hp.com> <1990Aug28.235240.19605@cbnewsc.att.com> Sender: usenet@cadence.com (USENET News) Organization: Cadence Design Systems, Inc. Lines: 31 In-Reply-To: lgm@cbnewsc.att.com's message of 28 Aug 90 23:52:40 GMT In article <1990Aug28.235240.19605@cbnewsc.att.com> lgm@cbnewsc.att.com (lawrence.g.mayka) writes: ...> I was referring more than anything to the fear some people have that ...> they "would never be able to keep track of all those parentheses." If ...> they use a reasonable editor (i.e., one that keeps track of ...> parentheses, at the very least!), they shouldn't have any difficulty. It's also the case that there are a variety of "syntax packages" available for Lisp: for example Cadence's Skill(tm) allows the following semantically equivalent syntaxes: x = 3*sin( y->z ) (setq x (times 3 (sin (getq y z)))) Mentor Graphics' (used to be from Silicon Compiler Systems) GENIE(tm) extension language allows either lisp-like, C-shell-like (I think) or C-like syntax, though I believe they use separate parsers for each syntax, where Skill lets you mix the two syntaxes in the same expression. There are some public domain syntax processors available too: for example CGOL. I find I'm happy with either syntactic style, but I like the mixture best of all. And of course I use emacs to help me format whatever I write. -- / / Manager, Framework Technology - Cadence Design Systems -/- o /__ ___ __ ___ ___ ___ 2455 Augustine Drive / / /\ /\ / / ___/ / / / /__/ /__ Santa Clara, CA 95054-3082 /__ / / \/ \ /__/ /__/ / / / /__ ___/ barnes@cadence.com (408) 987 5417