Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!MathWorks.Com!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!newsgate.dircon.co.uk!rheged!simon
From: simon@rheged.dircon.co.uk (Simon Brooke)
Subject: Re: Why do people like C? (Was: Comparison: Beta - Lisp)
In-Reply-To: csc1alf@cabell.vcu.edu's message of Mon, 19 Sep 1994 22:13:25 GMT
Message-ID: <CwMH3u.4nB@rheged.dircon.co.uk>
Organization: none. Disorganization: total.
References: <LYNBECH.94Sep15223604@xenon.daimi.aau.dk> <os2Psc1w165w@sytex.com> <35dcf9$jao@news.aero.org> <1994Sep19.221325.3567@cabell.vcu.edu>
Date: Sat, 24 Sep 1994 07:07:05 GMT
Lines: 34

In article <1994Sep19.221325.3567@cabell.vcu.edu> csc1alf@cabell.vcu.edu (Adrian L. Flanagan) writes:

   doner@aero.org (John Doner) writes:

   >In article <os2Psc1w165w@sytex.com>, Scott McLoughlin <smcl@sytex.com> wrote:
   >>I'm still _VERY_ curious (concerned?)
   >>about why Lisp isn't more popular in "the trenches".
   >...
   >>        So why don't folks use Lisp to write this stuff? Blazing
   >>speed,space,etc. aint that critical. What gives?

   long abstract theory deleted

   >I invite criticism of this theory.

   >John Doner

   I must strenously disagree with the original poster.  "Blazing
   speed,space,etc." are that critical.  Particularly in the PC DOS
   world with its 640K restriction, program size and efficiency of
   compiled code made a tremendous market difference in acceptance of
   early commercial programs.  

This is history. No-one is writing new commercial applications for a
640Kb memory model any more. We all know why LisP wasn't successful in
the past: the question is why isn't insert high level language of
your choice successful now?

-- 
    .::;====r==\              simon@rheged.dircon.co.uk (Simon Brooke)
   /  /____||___\____         
  //==\-   ||-  |  /__\(      MS Windows IS an operating environment.
 //____\___||___|_//  \|:     C++ IS an object oriented programming language. 
   \__/ ~~~~~~~~~~ \__/       Citroen 2cv6 IS a four door family saloon.
