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I have been using Common Lisp since about 1982 and it is probably my favorite language both because I am used to it and because old code usually runs forever wi
by mark_l_watson 5y ago
I have been using Common Lisp since about 1982 and it is probably my favorite language both because I am used to it and because old code usually runs forever without modification. That said, I now also often use Racket and Swift that both seem fresher, but don't have the extreme stability of CL. I often use Common Lisp libraries that haven't been touched by the creators for 5 or 10 years (or more).
I once wrote up a little rant about future software being ancient, with no changes for centuries. What might the far future be like? I was imagining a world where security and robustness were considered much more valuable than a never ending flow of new features. Could popular programs developed over many centuries evolve to a point where it made no sense to modify them?
- User23 5y agoI really like this perspective. One of the more, well, common, criticisms of Common Lisp is that the standard is stagnant. Reframing it as stable is great rhetoric and also sound dialectic. I've only been using CL for about half as long as you have, but I still appreciate that stability greatly. Also, it's not as if CL deprives neophiles of opportunity[1]. [1] https://lisp-journey.gitlab.io/blog/state-of-the-common-lisp-ecosystem-2020/ https://lisp-journey.gitlab.io/blog/state-of-the-common-lisp...