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A comment on Why is Common Lisp not the most popular programming language?. Parent comment

Re:Why is Common Lisp not the most popular programming langu... by jjav on Wednesday February 14, 2024 @07:26PM (#39377541)
> For simple stuff, sure. Try -b±√(b²-4ac))/2a. Or anything complicated really.

In anything complicated and long is where RPN shines the brightest!

If it's 2+2 I don't care whether I type 2+2 or 2 2 +. But for long complex equations, give me RPN every time. All my calculators are set to RPN mode (if it doesn't have RPN mode, I'm not using it).

I know it takes a bit of getting used to, but once you do it is a huge advantage. Particularly great for university tests where speed matters.

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Re:Why is Common Lisp not the most popular programming langu... by sliken on Wednesday February 14, 2024 @07:42PM (#39377673)
Indeed, great for speed and correctness.

It also makes awesome use of a multiline display, even an extra 3 lines to see the stack is a game changer. Without RPN I just use the extra area for graphing.

It's especially useful for unit conversions, since with prefix you never see the intermediate values.

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