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From: jbn@glacier.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
Subject: Re: LISP floating point performance
Message-ID: <16930@glacier.STANFORD.EDU>
Date: Tue, 3-Mar-87 22:48:32 EST
Article-I.D.: glacier.16930
Posted: Tue Mar  3 22:48:32 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 6-Mar-87 05:16:12 EST
References: <16921@glacier.STANFORD.EDU> <441@spar.SPAR.SLB.COM>
Organization: Stanford University
Lines: 16
Summary: Uses of floating point


      The information on LUCID's new compiler is very helpful; I've tried
out their VAX compiler and have been disappointed with the code, but it looks
like they are getting their act together for a future SUN release.

      As for the significance of floating point to LISP users, a number of
trends lead toward heavy floating point computation in LISP.  The modelling
work at Schlumberger, Pentland's Supersketch at SRI, Barr's work on
superquadrics at Caltech, Thinglab at Xerox, some of the neural net efforts,
simulated-annealing type VLSI design systems, and my own work on common-sense 
via solid modelling, are all implemented in LISP and do extensive 
floating-point computation.  The notion that LISP users don't do floating point
work is decidedly out of date.


					John Nagle