Roll a Lisp in C – Evaluation

Re:Roll a Lisp in C – Evaluation by HexDecOctBin on Saturday May 07, 2022 @02:19PM (#31297082)

I brought Lisp System Implementation a few weeks ago. While its pretty good, I did have one feedback: it would be great to have a book that shows making a Lisp step-by-step, rather than documenting the final version. I know a few people who are interested in learning how to write compilers, and would prefer something like that (LSI would be too hard for them, since it would require reading a large portion of the book to even gain some basic context of why we are doing what we are doing).

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Re:Roll a Lisp in C – Evaluation by nils-m-holm on Sunday May 08, 2022 @04:16AM (#31302222)

> it would be great to have a book that shows making a Lisp step-by-step

Excellent point! Compiling Lambda Calculus is a bit like this. It starts with Lambda Calculus and then develops multiple implementations of increasing complexity. LISP from Nothing also does this, but it is about ancient LISP.

I will definitely keep this in mind!

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Re:Roll a Lisp in C – Evaluation by reitzensteinm on Saturday May 07, 2022 @10:11AM (#31294617)

I've purchased Lisp System Implementation and it was very good. Thank you!

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Re:Roll a Lisp in C – Evaluation by nils-m-holm on Saturday May 07, 2022 @11:38AM (#31295412)

Thank you!

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Re:Roll a Lisp in C – Evaluation by bogomipz on Saturday May 07, 2022 @12:08PM (#31295798)

Oh wow, what a treasure trove! Which title would you recommend a LISP newbie should start with? Is there a sequence for the first few titles you would recommend?

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Re:Roll a Lisp in C – Evaluation by nils-m-holm on Sunday May 08, 2022 @04:06AM (#31302170)

If you are really new to LISP, I would recommend Sketchy Scheme, then Scheme 9 from Empty Space, then LISP System Implementation. You can read LISP from Nothing after Sketchy Scheme, but it is more about the technical history of LISP. If you are into Theory, read Compiling Lambda Calculus instead of S9fES. Then there are some essays and interpreters that you can study with little background.

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Re:Roll a Lisp in C – Evaluation by bowsamic on Saturday May 07, 2022 @08:08AM (#31293883)

What is your opinion on the Mahayana?

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Re:Roll a Lisp in C – Evaluation by nils-m-holm on Saturday May 07, 2022 @11:39AM (#31295425)

It is the teacher that matters, not the school.

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Re:Roll a Lisp in C – Evaluation by bowsamic on Saturday May 07, 2022 @12:02PM (#31295706)

In pure land there is no need for a teacher

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Re:Roll a Lisp in C – Evaluation by nils-m-holm on Sunday May 08, 2022 @04:07AM (#31302183)

In pure land there is no need for anything. Until then a teacher may be useful.

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Re:Roll a Lisp in C – Evaluation by bowsamic on Sunday May 08, 2022 @04:47AM (#31302329)

What do you mean by this? There is still the need to do the nembutsu

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Re:Roll a Lisp in C – Evaluation by nils-m-holm on Sunday May 08, 2022 @05:01AM (#31302398)

I was talking about the goal, you about the path. As long as there is a path, there needs to be a teacher, which can be a formal teacher, a member of your community, or yourself. In the end it is always yourself, of course, and the teaching is always the same, be it Mahayana, Theravada, Hinduism, Yoga, or something else entirely. It does not matter which school you belong to, but the teaching needs to be understood clearly. As long as there is a path, how do you do nembutsu without inspiration?

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