Ask HN: What's the best Lisp for a Python hobbyist looking to learn?

#1

Post by swidi » Thu, Mar 09, 2023, 7:34 AM UTC

I vaguely remember toying with newLISP [1] almost a decade ago, but I'd like to start exploring the language again and write some hobbyist-level programs in it.

[1]: http://www.newlisp.org/

Re: Ask HN: What's the best Lisp for a Python hobbyist looking to learn?

#2

Post by timfi » Thu, Mar 09, 2023, 8:48 AM UTC

A good starting point might be Hy [0]. Its claim to fame is being a LISP embedded in Python.

[0]: https://github.com/hylang/hy

Re: Ask HN: What's the best Lisp for a Python hobbyist looking to learn?

#3

Post by bitwize » Fri, Mar 10, 2023, 5:46 PM UTC

Oh God, Newlisp. Don't worry about that. Start with Common Lisp. It's probably the most Pythonic in that it's built for building real applications in. SBCL is the open source implementation everyone seems to favor.

Runners up are Racket and Guile.

The "Lisps in Python" (like Hy and Hissp) are nice, but they're not very Lispy. More like Python with sexpr syntax. For Lisp on a Python runtime, I recommend Calysto Scheme for messing around: https://github.com/Calysto/calysto_scheme

It's slow, but it's full Scheme.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best Lisp for a Python hobbyist looking to learn?

#4

Post by gilch » Fri, Mar 10, 2023, 8:28 PM UTC

bitwize wrote: post #3

Oh God, Newlisp. Don't worry about that. Start with Common Lisp. It's probably the most Pythonic in that it's built for building real applications in. SBCL is the open source implementation everyone seems to favor. Runners up are Racket and Guile. The "Lisps in Python" (like Hy and Hissp) are nice, but they're not very Lispy. More like Python with sexpr syntax. For Lisp on a Python runtime, I recommend Calysto Scheme…

What, specifically, is lacking?

Re: Ask HN: What's the best Lisp for a Python hobbyist looking to learn?

#5

Post by bitwize » Sat, Mar 11, 2023, 12:51 AM UTC

gilch wrote: post #4

bitwize wrote: post #3

Oh God, Newlisp. Don't worry about that. Start with Common Lisp. It's probably the most Pythonic in that it's built for building real applications in. SBCL is the open source implementation everyone seems to favor. Runners up are Racket and Guile. The "Lisps in Python" (like Hy and Hissp) are nice, but they're not very Lispy. More like Python with sexpr syntax. For Lisp on a Python runtime, I recommend Calysto Scheme…

What, specifically, is lacking?

From Hy and Hissp? Nothing really, but if you want to learn Lisp, it's best to learn Lisp and not Python in a Lisp skinsuit. The idioms between regular Lisp and Lisp-flavored Python are different.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best Lisp for a Python hobbyist looking to learn?

#6

Post by gilch » Sun, Mar 19, 2023, 6:08 AM UTC

bitwize wrote: post #5

gilch wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What, specifically, is lacking?

From Hy and Hissp? Nothing really, but if you want to learn Lisp, it's best to learn Lisp and not Python in a Lisp skinsuit. The idioms between regular Lisp and Lisp-flavored Python are different.

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