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From: jtn@potomac.ads.com (John T. Nelson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Who does LISP on the NeXT?
Message-ID: <1991Apr2.233352.28403@potomac.ads.com>
Date: 2 Apr 91 23:33:52 GMT
Organization: Advanced Decision Systems, Arlington, VA
Lines: 55


Some of the work I'm doing in the future may involve porting a rather
sophisticated LISP environment to the NeXT.  Before I plunge headlong
into this project, I'd like to know first if there is any need or
interest in LISP environments on the NeXT.  Oh sure we all know that
Allegro has been ported there, but the question is, what sort of real
needs are there for LISP and LISP/AI development environments on the
NeXT?

I'm interested in everyone's opinions, particularly if you are using
LISP or would like to see a sophisticated LISP environment on the
NeXT.  We're talking about a real environment here too, not just a
command line LISP interpreter.

Specifically:

1) How many NeXTs are used in research/academic environments and how
many people are doing AI/LISP hacking on NeXTs?  How about corporate
environments?

2) What shortcomings are there in Allegro that people would like to see
added?

3) What is the ideal LISP environment for you?  How much support do
you need for the NeXT toolKits/class libraries?  Do you need foreign
function calls?  Do you need support for CLIM/CLOS?  Would you like to
see an Emacs style editor and object inspector?  How about on-line
documentation (like Symbolics Document Examiner)?  Class browsers?
Dataflow analyzers?  Run-time support aids?

How about applications like mailers and the means to connect via
networks to other machines like Suns via NFS or other protocols?  Do
you want to access data on a central server?  What other operating
systems would you like to talk to?

4) What applications are being developed in LISP on NeXTs?  How many
of you out there are doing work in LISP and AI on the NeXT?  I'm
assuming that "AI" is the major applications area for LISP.  Are these
commercial products you're working on?  Perhaps in-house research?  Do
you deliver these applications in LISP and on the same platform you
have developed them on?

5) If you had the opportunity to buy a LISP envionment on the NeXT,
what standards and compatibility with other standards would you like
to see in it?  What capabilities?  Should it be compatible with
Allegro (probably)?

6) How much would you pay for it?  Is money as tight at your place as
it is here?  Would you buy a NeXT if it had a really nifty environment
like the Symbolics?


Thanks for your responses and enjoy!

- John