3 ms·

This 1960 program is much better looking than pretty much all 2018 programs I saw. There definitely are some exceptions, but it's hard to get lisp wrong whereas

This 1960 program is much better looking than pretty much all 2018 programs I saw. There definitely are some exceptions, but it's hard to get lisp wrong whereas it's too damn easy to get most 2018 languages wrong.

jorams 8y ago
> it's hard to get lisp wrong That's not actually true, Lisp offers endless possibilities to work yourself into a hole. The average 1960s program was just written by someone a bit more knowledgeable and caring, who took a lot more time to get things right, than the vast majority of modern programming work.
- sevensor 8y ago
  And the average 1960s program was written on a blackboard first. Computer time was expensive! I think being forced to confront the cost of the program ahead of time sharpened programmers' wits.
  - pfdietz 8y ago
    My first Lisp program was entered via punch cards. This was the early 1970s.