Comments on: How To Learn Lisp http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/ Peter Christensen's Blog Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:20:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Rui http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/comment-page-1/#comment-1275 Rui Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:38:29 +0000 http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/#comment-1275 I think resources for beginners are a little complicated, specially because most of them (us) have a background related to C/C++ or Java (or something like those). Other negative aspect is not having a "standard" IDE "ready-to-code", of course there is Emacs but the fact is most of the people today don't have experience with it and it would difficult things. Cusp would be a great help, but it would be nice having more tutorials about it. So, to finish, I think it would be great creating some sort of community focused on writing quality tutorials/documents to help newcomers (as others too) learning Lisp. Anyone else feels it can/makes sense be created? I think resources for beginners are a little complicated, specially because most of them (us) have a background related to C/C++ or Java (or something like those). Other negative aspect is not having a “standard” IDE “ready-to-code”, of course there is Emacs but the fact is most of the people today don’t have experience with it and it would difficult things. Cusp would be a great help, but it would be nice having more tutorials about it.
So, to finish, I think it would be great creating some sort of community focused on writing quality tutorials/documents to help newcomers (as others too) learning Lisp. Anyone else feels it can/makes sense be created?

]]> By: Peter http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/comment-page-1/#comment-1184 Peter Sun, 19 Jul 2009 06:32:27 +0000 http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/#comment-1184 -rino - Every common lisp implementation comes with a REPL where you can play around all you want without any IDE. Just fire it up and type (format t "Hello world!") and you're good to go. The IDE makes things like paren-matching, indenting, debugging, cross-referencing, etc easier but if you just want to play around I can see why you'd avoid emacs. I've not used them but I've heard good things about the Cusp plugin for Eclipse (http://bitfauna.com/projects/cusp/) and the ABLE editor (http://phil.nullable.eu/) -rino – Every common lisp implementation comes with a REPL where you can play around all you want without any IDE. Just fire it up and type (format t “Hello world!”) and you’re good to go. The IDE makes things like paren-matching, indenting, debugging, cross-referencing, etc easier but if you just want to play around I can see why you’d avoid emacs. I’ve not used them but I’ve heard good things about the Cusp plugin for Eclipse (http://bitfauna.com/projects/cusp/) and the ABLE editor (http://phil.nullable.eu/)

]]> By: rino http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/comment-page-1/#comment-1183 rino Sat, 18 Jul 2009 16:54:15 +0000 http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/#comment-1183 i really hate editors that forces me to do keyboard calisthenics *coughEMACScough*. any Lisp interpreter out there? i think with the complexity of learning Lisp there ought to be an interpreter that will allow us to play with the language rather than learning how to use the IDE and the editor before being able to do a "hello world!". i really hate editors that forces me to do keyboard calisthenics *coughEMACScough*.

any Lisp interpreter out there? i think with the complexity of learning Lisp there ought to be an interpreter that will allow us to play with the language rather than learning how to use the IDE and the editor before being able to do a “hello world!”.

]]> By: Niels Olson http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/comment-page-1/#comment-1172 Niels Olson Thu, 21 May 2009 15:21:15 +0000 http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/#comment-1172 I'm on page 24 of the Little Schemer right now. I would say the first stumbling block is that most people are going to start with PLT Scheme or MIT Scheme, and the key to using ANY of the examples is the first footnote of the first example in the first chapter: you have to make sure to use the ==> ' <== notation. Pay attention to that. Because every example assumes your figured out that notational convention. There's a lot of this that I can skip over, but that screwed me up. I’m on page 24 of the Little Schemer right now. I would say the first stumbling block is that most people are going to start with PLT Scheme or MIT Scheme, and the key to using ANY of the examples is the first footnote of the first example in the first chapter: you have to make sure to use the ==> ‘ <== notation. Pay attention to that. Because every example assumes your figured out that notational convention. There’s a lot of this that I can skip over, but that screwed me up.

]]> By: John http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/comment-page-1/#comment-1171 John Tue, 05 May 2009 12:42:31 +0000 http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/#comment-1171 I was looking at learning lisp and was thinking about using clojure as this would mean not having to re-learn lots of libraries. Also I code in eclipse anyway and there seems to be plenty of support for doing project euler using clojure. Can anyone enlighten me about advantages / disadvantages over using common lisp Thanks I was looking at learning lisp and was thinking about using clojure as this would mean not having to re-learn lots of libraries. Also I code in eclipse anyway and there seems to be plenty of support for doing project euler using clojure.

Can anyone enlighten me about advantages / disadvantages over using common lisp

Thanks

]]> By: alphard http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/comment-page-1/#comment-1162 alphard Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:29:20 +0000 http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/#comment-1162 shishir, I am C/C++ programmer too. OnLisp by Paul Graham is good alternative (available online), especially if you experienced in C++ STL and templates techniques. Also GISC (see above) maybe what you need - it is easy to read and relatively cheap. PAIP book is too general, but PAIP video lections are great - many unobvious lisp idioms + good style guide at the same time. shishir, I am C/C++ programmer too. OnLisp by Paul Graham is good alternative (available online), especially if you experienced in C++ STL and templates techniques. Also GISC (see above) maybe what you need – it is easy to read and relatively cheap.
PAIP book is too general, but PAIP video lections are great – many unobvious lisp idioms + good style guide at the same time.

]]> By: shishir http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/comment-page-1/#comment-1161 shishir Mon, 09 Mar 2009 21:56:34 +0000 http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/#comment-1161 Well I'd given up trying to learn lisp, primarily because I couldn't find a book on lisp catering to my taste. I know SICP,PAIP,PCL are great, videos are available etc etc. But well I live in India, watching videos over net is just too costly :) the books are too costly again. Don't we have some book that is straight forward something like KnR 'C programming language' and is comparatively cheap. I read parts of PCL, I don't like the book primarily because I grew up on C/C++ and writing styles of books for those languages are quite different from PCL. Well I’d given up trying to learn lisp, primarily because I couldn’t find a book on lisp catering to
my taste. I know SICP,PAIP,PCL are great, videos are
available etc etc. But well I live in India,
watching videos over net is just too costly :)
the books are too costly again.

Don’t we have some book that is straight forward
something like KnR ‘C programming language’ and is comparatively cheap. I read parts of PCL, I don’t like the book primarily because I grew up on C/C++ and writing styles of books for those languages are quite different from PCL.

]]> By: alphard http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/comment-page-1/#comment-1156 alphard Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:14:58 +0000 http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/#comment-1156 Thank you for the articles, Peter, very useful! First I've started learning LISP more then year ago, but gave up it soon. I had a lot of problems with choosing framework and with it's installation. Recently I read your installation guide which helped me to setup emacs with slime correctly! Reading PCL and SICP I still have my second old trouble - I need some interesting problem to be solved with LISP, but the most part of examples and exercises I've already read in both books seems tedious to me and doesn't motivate. I afraid to give up with LISP again because of it. Thank you for the articles, Peter, very useful! First I’ve started learning LISP more then year ago, but gave up it soon. I had a lot of problems with choosing framework and with it’s installation. Recently I read your installation guide which helped me to setup emacs with slime correctly!
Reading PCL and SICP I still have my second old trouble – I need some interesting problem to be solved with LISP, but the most part of examples and exercises I’ve already read in both books seems tedious to me and doesn’t motivate. I afraid to give up with LISP again because of it.

]]> By: -= Linkage 2007.03.05 =- http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/comment-page-1/#comment-1154 -= Linkage 2007.03.05 =- Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:37:50 +0000 http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/#comment-1154 [...] How to Learn Lisp<br/> [...] [...] How to Learn Lisp<br/> [...]

]]> By: gopi http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/comment-page-1/#comment-792 gopi Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:27:21 +0000 http://www.pchristensen.com/blog/articles/how-to-learn-lisp/#comment-792 required sample lisp programmes to learn easily required sample lisp programmes to learn easily

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