Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!cernvax!chx400!chx400!sicsun!disuns2!disuns2.epfl.ch!simon From: simon@liasun2.epfl.ch (Simon Leinen) Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp Subject: Re: Flavours of Lisp Message-ID: Date: 25 Apr 91 09:15:35 GMT References: <1991Apr24.123457.24123@cns.umist.ac.uk> <1991Apr25.050856.14219@Think.COM> Sender: news@disuns2.epfl.ch Reply-To: simon@liasun2.epfl.ch Organization: /users/simon/.organization Lines: 42 Nntp-Posting-Host: liasun5.epfl.ch In-reply-to: barmar@think.com's message of 25 Apr 91 05:08:56 GMT Some additions to Barry Margolin's response to Martin Earl's question: * KCL is free, but you have to sign a license agreement and send it to Japan before you may use it. You can FTP the license form from Rascal.ICS.UTexas.EDU, file /pub/kcl.broadcast. There are also compressed tar files for KCL and AKCL. Make sure you get the latest version of AKCL (akcl-1-530.tar.Z as of this morning). * The remarks on AKCL and IBCL are correct. Personally, I have been using AKCL for some time and found it quite usable. It runs on all Suns you have, and many more architectures because the compiler generates C code. This also means that the compiler is somewhat slow to `native' CL compilers. * The main contenders for the Common Lisp market on Suns *seem* to be Franz (Allegro CL) and Lucid (Sun CL). I have used them extensively and are VERY VERY pleased with both. My personal impression is that the environment is a bit better in Allegro, while Lucid's compiler is better, especially if you use local functions (FLET, LABELS etc.) Both are pretty much compatible with the non-standard of CLtL II. Both have (completely independent) graphical UIs, but I don't know if they're standard parts of the products. * There is a Common Lisp vendor in the UK (I think Cambridge or Bath) named Harlequin. They sell a CL called ``LispWorks'' that includes a ``native'' CLOS (i.e. they claim it's not derived from PCL, although I think they use Gregor's walker) and a *fancy* user interface based on CLUE. If you have fast machines, you will probably enjoy it. Ask Harlequin if they give you a demo version, which they did in the past. I can positively say that LispWorks runs on Sun-3s and Sparcs. * I think there is also an italian company called Delphi who sell a Common Lisp. * Someone will port the new version of CMU CL to SunOS. Currently it runs on Sparcs and PMAXen, but only under Mach. I expect very much from the resulting system, because its compiler (``Python'' by Rob McLachlan) is very sophisticated. This will be freely distributable, I think. -- Simon.