mark@vuwcomp.UUCP (Mark Davies) (10/28/86)
As part of a distributed systems project that we are currently developing, we require a Lisp for the Macintosh. Are there any good systems readily available? Requirements o Reasonably `powerful' lisp implementation o Access to the Macintosh toolbox o Access to routines written in other languages e.g. network routines written in C o Ability to `dump' snapshots of an environment. i.e. generate new load bands We have a copy of MacScheme 1.01. Are the more recent versions any better? I have heard mention of ExperLISP, has anyone had experience with this product? Is it any good? I also noticed in a recent Byte ExperCommonLISP -- Is this a separate product or a development of the above? Is it a full CommonLisp implementation? What else is available? Repies by Email please. I will summarise to the net if there is interest. Thanks Mark -- UUCP: ...!{alberta,ubc-vision}!calgary!vuwcomp!mark ACSnet: mark@vuwcomp.nz
verber@osu-eddie.UUCP (Mark Verber) (10/31/86)
There are four 'real' Lisp compilers for the Macintosh that will let you do the critical things you are interested in: #1. MacScheme with Toolsmith. Toolsmith gives full access to the toolbox in a very nice way. Toolsmith is currently in beta test but is very nice. The only complaint I have is that it is slow (but then again I am use to Sun-3s). #2. ExperLisp. I don't recommend this compiler. The compiler is buggy. They advertise that it is CommonLisp compatible but it doesn't support closures, use lexical scoping or have multiple name spaces. I guess you can call it CommonLisp since the function names are the same. I have talked to a number of Lisp implimentors about the product, and all have felt that the ExperLisp compiler just wasn't that hot. #3. OakLisp. This is an experimental Object Scheme which runs on Symbolics, Macintoshes and Suns. I believe only the Symbolics version is running (although I am guessing). It might be released, then again, it might not. You can see a description of it in the Proceedings from OOPSLA86. OakLisp is a high preformance dialect of Scheme with objects as first class entities. It is modelled after T (from Yale) and should be very high preformance, and give access to the toolbox. #4. PSL (Portable Standard Lisp). This also is not done yet. Rummor has it that Kessler is porting the entire SysLisp compiler to the Macintosh. SysLisp is a dialect of PSL which is designed to product high-preformance software, specificely other compilers and tools. PSL is very much like MacLisp for the DECsystem-20 and generates very fast code. Cheers, Mark A. Verber verber@ohio-state.arpa (internet) The Ohio State University verber@ohio-state.csnet (csnet) +1 (614) 422-0915 cbosgd!osu-eddie!verber (uucpnet)