(LISt Processing) A high-level programming language used for developing AI applications. Developed in 1960 by John McCarthy, its syntax and structure is very different from traditional programming languages. For example, there is no syntactic difference between data and instructions.
LISP is available in both interpreter and compiler versions and can be modified and expanded by the programmer. Many varieties have been developed, including versions that perform calculations efficiently. The following Common LISP example converts Fahrenheit to Celsius:
LISP is available in both interpreter and compiler versions and can be modified and expanded by the programmer. Many varieties have been developed, including versions that perform calculations efficiently. The following Common LISP example converts Fahrenheit to Celsius:
(defun convert ()
(format t "Enter Fahrenheit ")
(let ((fahr (read)))
(format t "Celsius is <126>D"
(truncate (*(-fahr 32)
(/ 5 9))))))
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2008 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- The tattered history of OOP
- This is a guest blog by frequent contributor Mark Miller - a followup on our earlier discussions of the effectiveness and value of the object oriented programming idea. OOP has been a mixed bag, but I say this only because...
- Blog posts 2008-06-02
- Writing is important...LOL
- Writing is important...LOLBad punctuation isn't always accidental?> they incorporate, often accidentally, some informal writing styles from digital communication (e.g.,...bad punctuation)This can only mean that bad punctuation in "digital communication" (which I assume doesn't mean finger painting)is intentional.RE: Writing is important...LOLWhen my 18 year old send email, it's all in txt...
- Discussion threads 2008-04-25
- Microsoft declares its modeling love with a new language, 'D'
- Microsoft declares its modeling love with a new language, 'D'or maybeOr maybe its time to start using a managed language, professional IDE, and the .NET Framework to solve all the problems you mentioned above and many more! VB.NET or C# offer much better options than yesterday's languages.Not Invented Here[i]Maybe it's...
- Discussion threads 2008-02-05
- Simple DirectMedia Layer (zip)
- Simple DirectMedia Layer was designed to be a cross-platform multimedia library designed to provide low level access to audio, keyboard, mouse, joystick, 3D hardware via OpenGL, and 2D video framebuffer. It is used by MPEG playback software, emulators, and many popular games, including the award winning Linux port of "Civilization:...
- Software downloads 2008-01-24
- Microsoft to build an 'Emacs.Net' text editor
- Microsoft to build an 'Emacs.Net' text editorIts a terminal-based multifunction text editorI think it is going to be advanced text editor which is extendable.What Microsoft really lack is a decent text editor that can be run inside the four wall of the terminal console/Command Prompt. As sysadmin do more and...
- Discussion threads 2007-12-31
- Microsoft to build an 'Emacs.Net' text editor
- Developers are puzzling over recent clues blogged by a few Microsoft employees regarding a new "Emacs.Net" tool the company is building. Microsoft's Connected Systems Division (the folks who developed the Windows Communication Framework, a k a "Indigo") is hiring developers to build a product that team member...
- Blog posts 2007-12-31
- "Back that truck up"
- The quotation is from Tim Taylor, star of TV's long defunct sitcom: Glimpses of Heidi, but suits my purpose here, which is to discuss our tendency to remember things in terms of what's important to us rather in terms of what really happened. A big...
- Blog posts 2007-12-21
- Why Mathematica violates basic rules of math conduct
- Why Mathematica violates basic rules of math conductOr......be prepared to explain how to do the work without the proprietary software in question. I wouldn't accept a theorem as proved just because Mathematica says it is, but proper mathematical software (and I've never used Mathematica) should be able to output...
- Discussion threads 2007-11-19
- BitCAD (exe)
- Incredible new version available. For the first time ever you can buy a heavy-duty CAD program that's compatible with the DWG file format and industry-standard applications without the high price of other industry-standard applications. BitCAD's is the best cost/effectiveness solution to anyone who creates and uses DWG files. BitCAD's native...
- Software downloads 2007-11-16
- Culture gaps and herd effects
- Culture gaps and herd effectsWhat about Elitism?Does Elitism not sell?Be different. Be a non-conformist, just dress in black, be all poetic and sad like and do exactly like we do and not conform to what others expect you to. Herd effects are lame, but they don't sell. ...
- Discussion threads 2007-10-08
- 1:1 computing...Can it be justified?
- 1:1 computing...Can it be justified?The Price of PrivilegeIt's interesting to consider the world in which these prep school students will eventually emerge. They will have had the experience of having a personal computer and personal unlimited access to tech resources and the Internet throughout their formative years. They will take...
- Discussion threads 2007-08-14
- Captain Cyborg and the Problem of Evil
- Captain Cyborg and the Problem of EvilA CounterexampleThis is a very interesting post. It sounds like science-fiction, almost delusional, but you're saying these different scenarios represent real viewpoints held by real people.Some more people I would add to your list who believe in the human extension scenario are Douglas Engelbart,...
- Discussion threads 2007-07-05
- Open source statistics? Anyone? Anyone?
- Open source statistics? Anyone? Anyone?Several programsLuke Tierney from the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science at The University of Iowa has a program called lisp-stat lisp based with an xlispstat package available for Xorg so you get a gui. A many many built in functions with the ability...
- Discussion threads 2007-07-02
- Could you say 'Unix' in Ada?
- Could you say 'Unix' in Ada?Leaky AbstractionsWhat you are argueing is that Unix is full of leaky abstractions instead of sound design principles, so a largely unsafe systems programming language should be used to write application software.I think you are very wrong.Unix promotes enforced isolation of components (strong process isolation,...
- Discussion threads 2007-06-06
- Could you say 'Unix' in Ada?
- Think about this problem for a minute: modify google maps to add the user's choice of socio-metric data about the region shown: how many Andersen's live there? what's the average family size in the region? what's the school age population in the region, by grade?Now think about how you thought...
- Blog posts 2007-06-06
- Multiplying "Hello World"
- Multiplying "Hello World"Guilty![i]...the programming language you think in shapes the algorithm choice and therefore affects both how you think about a problem and how you solve it - that’s why COBOL programmers working in Perl usually just write COBOL using Perl notation.[/i]This is very true. When I first started...
- Discussion threads 2007-06-05
- Is software a form of applied mathematics?
- Is software a form of applied mathematics?Eh??!?!?!!Maple is a tree.Mathematica is a typo (those "A" and "S" are just too close...);-)Not quite rightBoth M's are symbolic manipulators built on other languages.That doesn't mean they're not scripting languages, it does mean they differ in nature from APL.Maple and Mathematica not computer...
- Discussion threads 2007-06-04
- Microsoft to roll out dynamic-language layer for .Net
- Microsoft to roll out dynamic-language layer for .Netone more proprietary levelwho needs a new M$ level of lock in software?Clearly this is innovation--And Innovation is not the exclusive domain of open-source developers.At the risk of inviting flamers, I will say this: I do not accept the open-source software development model.The...
- Discussion threads 2007-04-24
- A Java Developer's Guide to Ruby
- As a Java developer, why should one learn Ruby? Because Ruby's versatility and flexibility complement Java well, and a developer will be a more effective and efficient developer if he or she uses both languages. In fact, the author uses Java, Ruby, and Common Lisp for all the developments and...
- White papers 2007-04-24
- Developers petition Microsoft to reconsider FoxPro phase out
- Developers petition Microsoft to reconsider FoxPro phase outM$ and open source[* Microsoft to release the full FoxPro source code to Open Source "even restricted in any way"]I don't think anything short of GPL3 is benefic for the users.To survive Fox Pro needs to be ported to Linux and to be...
- Discussion threads 2007-04-03
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