Comments on: Common Lisp’s quote http://www.oluyede.org/blog/2006/09/29/common-lisps-quote/ Everything considered harmful Wed, 21 Dec 2011 07:59:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: RiK0 http://www.oluyede.org/blog/2006/09/29/common-lisps-quote/comment-page-1/#comment-7694 RiK0 Sun, 05 Nov 2006 22:59:39 +0000 http://www.oluyede.org/blog/2006/09/29/common-lisps-quote/#comment-7694 <p>In fact Lisp's syntax allows this sort of things quite easily. However, I would like to point out that Ruby does something similar quite often: for example loop is not a language construct but a Kernel method.</p> <p>Moreover, you could define some other control structures in terms of a subset of them. That is you can do this while preserving almost the same syntax (just defining them is trivial in -- almost -- any language)</p> <p>Of course, in Lisp you need none of them since you have recursion (I mean recursion is well optimezed <em>and</em> it is a common way to do things in Lisp).</p> <p>This is a Haskell naive if</p> <p>newif :: Bool -> a -> a -> a newif True then_ _ = then_ newif False _ else_ = else_</p> <p>of course you can't place then else keywords in it, but it's quite readable (and it has a syntax similar to Lisp if -- with less (((parentheses))))</p> <p>However, the paragraph is really interesting and should make us reflect.</p> In fact Lisp’s syntax allows this sort of things quite easily. However, I would like to point out that Ruby does something similar quite often: for example loop is not a language construct but a Kernel method.

Moreover, you could define some other control structures in terms of a subset of them. That is you can do this while preserving almost the same syntax (just defining them is trivial in — almost — any language)

Of course, in Lisp you need none of them since you have recursion (I mean recursion is well optimezed and it is a common way to do things in Lisp).

This is a Haskell naive if

newif :: Bool -> a -> a -> a newif True then_ _ = then_ newif False _ else_ = else_

of course you can’t place then else keywords in it, but it’s quite readable (and it has a syntax similar to Lisp if — with less (((parentheses))))

However, the paragraph is really interesting and should make us reflect.

]]> By: Lawrence http://www.oluyede.org/blog/2006/09/29/common-lisps-quote/comment-page-1/#comment-5971 Lawrence Fri, 29 Sep 2006 18:12:49 +0000 http://www.oluyede.org/blog/2006/09/29/common-lisps-quote/#comment-5971 <p>I will try to learn Smalltalk one day... maybe in my 30s... :-P</p> I will try to learn Smalltalk one day… maybe in my 30s… :-P

]]> By: Giovanni Corriga http://www.oluyede.org/blog/2006/09/29/common-lisps-quote/comment-page-1/#comment-5969 Giovanni Corriga Fri, 29 Sep 2006 18:03:17 +0000 http://www.oluyede.org/blog/2006/09/29/common-lisps-quote/#comment-5969 <p>As a Smalltalker, I can't but feel smug when reading this ;-) Long live #do: !</p> As a Smalltalker, I can’t but feel smug when reading this ;-) Long live #do: !

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