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Lisp Is Not An Acceptable Java

matthias.benkard.de

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Re: Lisp Is Not An Acceptable Java

#3

Post by jmah »

I'm not sure if this is sarcastic or not.

  (with-open-file (file "test.txt" :direction :output)
    (print "hello" file))
> This might open a file called “test.txt” and write “hello” into it—or it might reformat your hard drive! How are you to know?

Isn't that true when you call any user-defined function in any language? (Well, actually in Haskell I suppose you can tell if it has side-effects, but with "print" you'd expect it to anyway.)

> Also, you can't use Lisp in an interactive application, since garbage collection can kick in at any time and stop your program for a couple of seconds at a time.

Yeah, garbage collection sucks! Use Java! Or C#! Apparently.

> In contrast, Java and C# programs are compiled into efficient bytecode

In contrast to what? Compiling Lisp down to machine code?

Argh. You'd've thought I'd've learnt not to feed the troll. Sorry.

Re: Lisp Is Not An Acceptable Java

#4

Post by 6ren »

What a bizarre article. Lisp can't represent XML? Garbage collection is obsolete?

> type stuff into the REPL... can't store the code in files that way.

What's the standard solution to this? Serialize everything, and then hand-edit to just keep the things you want? Cut-n-paste the history into a file?

Re: Lisp Is Not An Acceptable Java

#5

Post by jmah »

jmah wrote: post #3

I'm not sure if this is sarcastic or not. (with-open-file (file "test.txt" :direction :output) (print "hello" file)) > This might open a file called “test.txt” and write “hello” into it—or it might reformat your hard drive! How are you to know? Isn't that true when you call any user-defined function in any language? (Well, actually in Haskell I suppose you can tell if it has side-effects, but with "print" you'd expec…

Right. So it is sarcastic. I guess I should have checked first.

http://matthias.benkard.de/

Re: Lisp Is Not An Acceptable Java

#7

Post by rednum »

jmah wrote: post #3

I'm not sure if this is sarcastic or not. (with-open-file (file "test.txt" :direction :output) (print "hello" file)) > This might open a file called “test.txt” and write “hello” into it—or it might reformat your hard drive! How are you to know? Isn't that true when you call any user-defined function in any language? (Well, actually in Haskell I suppose you can tell if it has side-effects, but with "print" you'd expec…

The article is sarcastic, though it may not seem to. Take a while and look at the 'about me' page of author - you can read there that his favourite languages (Lieblingsprogrammiersprache) are Clojure, Common Lisp and Haskell. He also has some projects in lisp on his page.

However, haven't I read his page, I wouldn't understand it either. It seems like I'm not the only one who don't get it - it would be nice to hear from the author what was his point.

Re: Lisp Is Not An Acceptable Java

#8

Post by rhizome31 »

jmah wrote: post #5
jmah wrote: post #3

I'm not sure if this is sarcastic or not. (with-open-file (file "test.txt" :direction :output) (print "hello" file)) > This might open a file called “test.txt” and write “hello” into it—or it might reformat your hard drive! How are you to know? Isn't that true when you call any user-defined function in any language? (Well, actually in Haskell I suppose you can tell if it has side-effects, but with "print" you'd expec…

Right. So it is sarcastic. I guess I should have checked first. http://matthias.benkard.de/

Naughty april fool that comes up on HN 2 weeks late ;)

Re: Lisp Is Not An Acceptable Java

#10

Post by phaylon »

6ren wrote: post #4

What a bizarre article. Lisp can't represent XML? Garbage collection is obsolete? > type stuff into the REPL... can't store the code in files that way. What's the standard solution to this? Serialize everything, and then hand-edit to just keep the things you want? Cut-n-paste the history into a file?

> What a bizarre article. Lisp can't represent XML?

This was the point where I thought "This can't be serious." I always found SXML a perfect example of where data and code meet.

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