Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!rutgers!orstcs!mist!tgd
From: tgd@mist.cs.orst.edu (Tom Dietterich)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
Subject: Re: SPE:  Info Request
Message-ID: <7047@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU>
Date: 27 Oct 88 20:42:22 GMT
References: <58@racine.ACA.MCC.COM>
Sender: usenet@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU
Reply-To: tgd@mist.UUCP (Tom Dietterich)
Organization: Oregon State University - CS - Corvallis, Oregon
Lines: 46

We have recently started using SPE 1.0 on top of Lucid 2.1 on a SUN
4/280 running OS 3.2.  Since there have been some questions, I thought
I'd give my initial impressions.  

1. How robust is it?  
   Not enough experience to say yet.

2. Comparison with Lisp Machine environments.
   It has the basic functionality of lisp machine environments.  I am
an Interlisp-D user, so that is my standard of comparison.  SPE
contains a scrollable lisp listener, an emacs implemented in lisp, a
cross-reference tool similar to MASTERSCOPE, and an application
manager like the FILE Manager in Interlisp (which I haven't used yet). 
   Once you have loaded a function into the listener, it builds an
index for the locations of all functions, so that you can find the
definition of a function very easily.  The emacs scrolls and selects
with the mouse as well as with the traditional keystrokes.  The
initial key bindings are standard.  
   The cross reference tools is ok.  (I haven't figured out how to get
it to scan through macros...).  It displays as graph of the calling
structure.  Buttoning nodes in the graph causes emacs to find to
corresponding defun.
   The window-based debugger/inspector is the best part.  When you
enter a break, a small attached menu pops up that includes such
options as "abort, pop, and debug".  Debug causes a nice window-based
debugger to appear.  In this debugger, the stack is shown as a menu in
one pane with the current stack frame in another pane.  Buttoning a
variable in the stack frame gives you an inspector on the value of
that variable.  Buttoning a stack frame in the stack window moves you
to that stack frame.  You can resume execution from that point
(i.e., REVERT for Interlisp-D hackers).
   There are still some rough edges, but I'm told that the next
version of SPE will be significantly improved.

3. Compatibility with GNU.
   SPE is self-contained and contains its own emacs.  You 
couldn't use gnuemacs with it.  

4. What lisps does it run with?
   Good question.

5. X?
   NO. SPE runs inside one large Sunview window.  I don't know what
future plans are for supporting NEWS or X.

--Tom