KMP%MIT-MC@sri-unix.UUCP (01/13/84)
From: Kent M Pitman <KMP @ MIT-MC>
[Reprinted from the MIT-MC bboard.]
Modern Day Lisp
Time: 3:00pm
Date: Wednesdays and Fridays, 18-27 January
Place: 8th Floor Playroom
The Lisp language has changed significantly in the past 5 years. Modern
Lisp dialects bear only a superficial resemblance to each other and to
their common parent dialects.
Why did these changes come about? Has progress been made? What have we
learned in 5 hectic years of rapid change? Where is Lisp going?
In a series of four lectures, we'll be surveying a number of the key
features that characterize modern day Lisps. The current plan is to touch
on at least the following topics:
Scoping. The move away from dynamic scoping.
Namespaces. Closures, Locales, Obarrays, Packages.
Objects. Actors, Capsules, Flavors, and Structures.
Signals. Errors and other unusual conditions.
Input/Output. From streams to window systems.
The discussions will be more philosophical than technical. We'll be
looking at several Lisp dialects, not just one. These lectures are not
just something for hackers. They're aimed at just about anyone who uses
Lisp and wants an enhanced appreciation of the issues that have shaped
its design and evolution.
As it stands now, I'll be giving all of these talks, though there
is some chance there will be some guest lecturers on selected
topics. If you have questions or suggestions about the topics to be
discussed, feel free to contact me about them.
Kent Pitman (KMP@MC)
NE43-826, x5953