Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!udel!brahms.udel.edu!lkramer
From: lkramer@brahms.udel.edu (Laurence Kramer)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
Subject: Re: So who's really using LISP?
Message-ID: <18736@brahms.udel.edu>
Date: 14 Feb 91 14:27:12 GMT
References: <806@mara.cognet.ucla.edu>
Organization: Quantum Software Inc.
Lines: 17

Anybody in a research AI lab type environment that is programing in
C rather than Lisp needs their head examined.  Lisp is clearly a better
prototyping/research environment due to its interactive nature.  (Besides
other benefits).

It is my opinion that the grads and undergrads that you mentioned are prob-
ably programming in C because they don't know any better (i.e., have done
most of their academic coursework in C, and been only briefly exposed to
Lisp).

Enough of the diatribe.  As to your question:  We at Quantum Software (a
smallish software house specializing in AI applications) do 90% of our
coding in Lisp.  The other 10% is in C, primarily for the systems' related
aspects of our programs.  We also use C to "hand compile" some functions
within our Lisp deliverables which are particularly time critical.

Larry