4 ms·

I'm currently in a computational biology lab and people are allowed whatever suits them to tackle a problem. I'd say that there is an equal mix of octave, R, li

by papaf 17y ago

I'm currently in a computational biology lab and people are allowed whatever suits them to tackle a problem. I'd say that there is an equal mix of octave, R, lisp, fortran, C++ and python. I'm the heaviest user of python and this is because it allows me to get things done quickly (I need to concentrate on the science and not the joy of programming during office hours). Python is a great scripting language and that's how I use it. I find that I have to think too much when using Lisp on simple programming tasks and I'm being challenged enough by the maths or logic of the problem I'm working on. That said, all genetic programming is done is Lisp because no other language comes close. The numerical performance of Lisp is also very good -- I'd say about 1/2 that of C++ when using SBCL. This speed is fast enough and impressive for a dynamically typed language.

jast 17y ago
All GP is done in Lisp?? Sorry but that is far from true! In the EC community C/C++ and Java are the most common languages used. Just take a look at the popular EC libs out there (EO, ECJ, OpenBeagle, TinyGP, etc). Even Python and Matlab are well more accepted as programming languages than any kind of Lisp. It's sad but it's true. You don't know the "fight" that is to use Lisp in this field/community. The few times I use Lisp is for solo work, because every time I do collaborative work people simply refuse to even considered it. The myths against Lisp are pretty strong and people just refuse to change their minds. Which I think it's kind of ironic since in a science/research environment, people should be more open-minded. Oh well...
- silentbicycle 17y ago
  I think papaf means all GP done in his/her computational biology lab, specifically.
  - jast 17y ago
    On a second reading, you're right. But the truth is that in the EC community, and GP in particular, Lisp is not used. 1/2 of C++ speed is just considered too slow. IMHO, I guess speed is just the easy excuse.

by papaf 17y ago

jast 17y ago

All GP is done in Lisp?? Sorry but that is far from true! In the EC community C/C++ and Java are the most common languages used. Just take a look at the popular EC libs out there (EO, ECJ, OpenBeagle, TinyGP, etc). Even Python and Matlab are well more accepted as programming languages than any kind of Lisp. It's sad but it's true. You don't know the "fight" that is to use Lisp in this field/community. The few times I use Lisp is for solo work, because every time I do collaborative work people simply refuse to even considered it. The myths against Lisp are pretty strong and people just refuse to change their minds. Which I think it's kind of ironic since in a science/research environment, people should be more open-minded. Oh well...

silentbicycle 17y ago
I think papaf means all GP done in his/her computational biology lab, specifically.
- jast 17y ago
  On a second reading, you're right. But the truth is that in the EC community, and GP in particular, Lisp is not used. 1/2 of C++ speed is just considered too slow. IMHO, I guess speed is just the easy excuse.