They all have a lot in common: Dynamic languages Strongly typed Compiled Lisp-style syntax, i.e. code is written as a Lisp data structures (forms) with the most common pattern being function calls like: (function-name arg1 arg2) Powerful macro systems that allow you to treat code as data and generate arbitrary code at runtime (often used … Read more
There are several reasons why one should not use EVAL. The main reason for beginners is: you don’t need it. Example (assuming Common Lisp): EVALuate an expression with different operators: (let ((ops ‘(+ *))) (dolist (op ops) (print (eval (list op 1 2 3))))) That’s better written as: (let ((ops ‘(+ *))) (dolist (op ops) … Read more
Franz, Inc. provides an inexhaustive list of success stories on their website. However: Please don’t assume Lisp is only useful for Animation and Graphics, AI, Bioinformatics, B2B and E-Commerce, Data Mining, EDA/Semiconductor applications, Expert Systems, Finance, Intelligent Agents, Knowledge Management, Mechanical CAD, Modeling and Simulation, Natural Language, Optimization, Research, Risk Analysis, Scheduling, Telecom, and Web … Read more
Matt’s explanation is perfectly fine — and he takes a shot at a comparison to C and Java, which I won’t do — but for some reason I really enjoy discussing this very topic once in a while, so — here’s my shot at an answer. On points (3) and (4): Points (3) and (4) … Read more
Try reading Practical Common Lisp, by Peter Seibel.
Racket is ultimately based on R5RS, and not R6RS and not a strict superset of either. I don’t think it can be called ‘Scheme’ because it’s not backwards compatible with any Scheme standard. Most implementations offer extensions, but are otherwise backwards compatible, of course, the compiler that comes with Racket can also run in R5RS … Read more