A few more tips I found helpful as a beginner: * Most lisps can compile a binary, even the free ones. * sbcl seems to have a ton of popularity and support. *

A few more tips I found helpful as a beginner: * Most lisps can compile a binary, even the free ones. * sbcl seems to have a ton of popularity and support. * Want to mix Lisp directly into your C code? Try ECL. Most important: it works, and should not take you long to connect it to your program. * clisp has a nice readline-like commandline; you can get something like it in sbcl with the linedit module * ASDF isn't horrible, but quicklisp makes packages much easier to get * cliki.net - browse packages, ideas, etc * CFFI package lets you use any external library with your Lisp program. Lisp has its own version of C header files that you can build via CFFI. * Edit lisp in any editor. Emacs is neat. Vim works, too. Both have some extra support tools for Lisp. Emacs is more supported. Worry about learning Lisp first. * At minimum, your editor should help you figure out what ()s match (or provide them for you). Otherwise, you will spend time counting and being annoyed with ()s rather than loving them. * Before you write your fourth Lisp program, read some typical Lisp code. Just get a feel for it. Look at how it is indented and arranged. Go back to writing code.