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1、WorseIsBetterLisp:GoodNews,BadNews,HowtoWinBigRichardP.GabrielLucid,IncThisarticlewasoriginallypublishedin1991.AbstractLisphasdonequitewelloverthelasttenyears:becomingnearlystandardized,formingthebasisofacommercialsector,achievingexcellentperformance,havinggoodenvironments,abletodeliverapplic
2、ations.YettheLispcommunityhasfailedtodoaswellasitcouldhave.InthispaperIlookatthesuccesses,thefailures,andwhattodonext.TheLispworldisingreatshape:TenyearsagotherewasnostandardLisp;themoststandardLispwasInterLisp,whichranonPDP-10sandXeroxLispmachines(somesaiditranonVaxes,butIthinktheyexaggerate
3、d);thesecondmoststandardLispwasMacLisp,whichranonlyonPDP-10s,butunderthethreemostpopularoperatingsystemsforthatmachine;thethirdmoststandardLispwasPortableStandardLisp,whichranonmanymachines,butveryfewpeoplewantedtouseit;thefourthmoststandardLispwasZetalisp,whichranontwovarietiesofLispmachine;
4、andthefifthmoststandardLispwasScheme,whichranonafewdifferentkindsofmachine,butveryfewpeoplewantedtouseit.Bytoday’sstandards,eachofthesehadpoororjustbarelyacceptableperformance,nonexistentorjustbarelysatisfactoryenvironments,nonexistentorpoorintegrationwithotherlanguagesandsoftware,poorportabi
5、lity,pooracceptance,andpoorcommercialprospects.TodaythereisCommonLisp(CL),whichrunsonallmajormachines,allmajoroperatingsystems,andvirtuallyineverycountry.CommonLispisabouttobestandardizedbyANSI,hasgoodperformance,issurroundedwithgoodenvironments,andhasgoodintegrationwithotherlanguagesandsoftw
6、are.But,asabusiness,Lispisconsideredtobeinillhealth.TherearepersistentandsometimestruerumorsabouttheabandonmentofLispasavehiclefordeliveryofpracticalapplications.Tosomeextenttheproblemisoneofperception--therearesimplybetterLispdeliverysolutionsthanaregenerallybelievedtoexistandtoadisturbingex
7、tenttheproblemisoneofunplacedormisplacedresources,ofprojectsnotundertaken,andofimplementationstrategiesnotactivated.Partoftheproblemstemsfromourverydearfriendsintheartificialintelligence(AI)business.AIhasanumberofgoodapproachestoformalizinghu