Ask HN: If you were designing Common Lisp today, what would you change?

Post by kazinator » Fri, Jan 13, 2023, 10:21 AM UTC

sargstuff wrote: post #30

kazinator wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> basic' loop in lisp is tree/heap traversal from initial outer (). That's completely false, except that loops can be used to code a tree traversal. Looping is a control construct centered around a backward branch, updates to iteration variables and termination testing. Loops can compile code that has nothing to do with the heap.

Why prefer a non-functional construct over a functional construct in a functional language? The lisp loop macro simplifies the s-expression tree/heap traversal for benifit of coder/reader. The lisp loop macro is implilmented based on s-expression tree traversal. Trees are used with closures. Heaps are used with objects. (lisp & non-lisp) In lisp can debate what's an 'object', but multiple thunks are managed through a…