Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!neat.ai.toronto.edu!rayan
From: rayan@AI.TORONTO.EDU (Rayan Zachariassen)
Subject: Re: What is needed (was: Tired C programmer)
Message-ID: <89May5.070055edt.39756@neat.ai.toronto.edu>
Summary: what is needed
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto
References: <1989Apr30.183925.19847@cs.rochester.edu>
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 5 May 89 07:00:51 EDT

In article <656@pitstop.West.Sun.COM> rvollum@sun.com (Rob Vollum) writes:
# ..., because Lisp is a great language. I've just recognized
# that UNIX (as an OS) has alot of good functionality as well, that you
# just won't find on a LispM. What's really needed is a good Lisp programming
# environment (for program development/debugging) on top of a real OS (that
# manages filesystems, networks, users, etc).

Indeed, but that is only half the problem.  The other half is the software
equivalent of a "Delivery Vehicle" environment, namely some way of providing
Lisp applications that doesn't require a 5 megabyte binary to do a /bin/cat
equivalent.  I'd like to see the Lisp runtime environment put into a shared
library (& the compiler modified to make use of this),  along with a decent
and transparent GC implementation which doesn't promulgate the Moscow syndrome
(cruise missile 5 minutes from Moscow decides to start a 15-minute GC; this
being AI's contribution to de'tente).  Given that, and a standard startup
environment a la C, I think you might start seeing some impressive Lisp-based
*system software* (license binary runtime environment for nominal or no cost,
charge for compiler and development environment).  It really is a great
language for many purposes.

(Franz, Lucid, you listening??)

rayan