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Worth a read because it is one the most condescending computing books I have ever read. While reading I got the impression that I read the text of a really immature fanboy in a web forum of the 2000s. I hope the author has matured by now. Seriously, don't buy this book.
Yeah, the sixth chapter sure bashes on Scheme a lot. :/
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you think it is useful for a Lisp noob?
This book is sort of a trap because some of the macros it defines make assumptions that are not guaranteed by the language specification: every once in a while, you’ll find people on IRC or similar asking for help with some of the examples from this book. Also, IMO, the defmacro/g macro defined in this book would have been better defined as a reader macro than as a codewalking macro.
I haven't read it, I have to confess. It would be useful if those assumptions were explicitly mentioned and explained in the book.
Some of the advanced macro stuff is easily outside of the standard and can be still useful, which for example lacks some of the environment features described in CLtL2.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you think it is useful for a Lisp noob?
This book is sort of a trap because some of the macros it defines make assumptions that are not guaranteed by the language specification: every once in a while, you’ll find people on IRC or similar asking for help with some of the examples from this book. Also, IMO, the defmacro/g macro defined in this book would have been better defined as a reader macro than as a codewalking macro.
I think CCL still works.
The code here should fix the problems : https://github.com/thephoeron/let-over-lambda
Note, it's been a while since I looked at it so I could have some of the details wrong. The book is still well worth reading to help you understand the possibilities with a programmable programming language, but just bear in mind the various caveats..
... really? the most advanced language (?), are we back in the 50ies again?
>> it describes the most advanced features of the most advanced language: COMMON LISP ... really? the most advanced language (?), are we back in the 50ies again?
>> it describes the most advanced features of the most advanced language: COMMON LISP ... really? the most advanced language (?), are we back in the 50ies again?
Common Lisp was finalized in the 90s. And it's not its fault that the other languages haven't caught up yet.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you think it is useful for a Lisp noob?
I think it’s a great second book. For a first I’ve always recommended Practical Common Lisp. I don’t know if that recommendation is still up to date.
Many things in LOL are quite opinionated. I don't think it's a distillation of knowledge (like On Lisp), but rather an exploration how far you can take some things (macros).
Worth a read because it is one the most condescending computing books I have ever read. While reading I got the impression that I read the text of a really immature fanboy in a web forum of the 2000s. I hope the author has matured by now. Seriously, don't buy this book.
As in arts and politics, some curmudgeons are needed in every field, if not for anything else, to show that there's another way than the mainstream.
(They don't have to be perfectly right either -- it's having a strong perspective that counts, nobody is 100% right anyway).
Worth a read because it is one the most condescending computing books I have ever read. While reading I got the impression that I read the text of a really immature fanboy in a web forum of the 2000s. I hope the author has matured by now. Seriously, don't buy this book.
I thought it was great, but I know it's not a book for snowflakes. When I hear someone say "this is right" or "this is wrong", I am able to effortlessly interpret this as "I believe this is right/wrong". It's just being efficient with language. I don't need people to add extra words for fear of offending me. Maybe the author was immature. That's great. Let it remind you what it's like to be young and so excited about…
Or, as we used to call it: "It's all about having had a few conversations with actual people in the actual world".