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Since Lisp is often compiled to machine language, C/C++ is often only glue to the OS and large parts of the software is actually written in Lisp. GNU Emacs now
by lispm 4y ago
Since Lisp is often compiled to machine language, C/C++ is often only glue to the OS and large parts of the software is actually written in Lisp. GNU Emacs now has a variant with native compilation, so it there would possible to get rid with much of the C code without much loss of performance. Thus in a large CAD system, compiled Lisp is not just the scripting language, but can be much of the implementation.
- kragen 4y agoYeah, as I said above, it's not mostly about the performance¹ but about the bugginess, which is to say, the comprehensibility. There are arguments both ways about whether C or Lisp is more bug-prone (less comprehensible) but I think the results are in. And there are new languages like TypeScript which combine and exceed the advantages of both. ______ ¹ Though GCC still routinely generates much better code than SBCL, much less the new Elisp compiler, that's not the primary consideration. I'm not sure why you're mentioning it.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]