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> original hackers did actually that on some software like Maxima on top of MacLisp The original hackers developed Macsyma on Maclisp. Project MAC's SYmbolic

by lispm 2y ago

> original hackers did actually that on some software like Maxima on top of MacLisp The original hackers developed Macsyma on Maclisp. Project MAC's SYmbolic MAnipulator and Project MAC's lisp. Maxima is a fork, which was renamed from DOE Macsyma to Maxima in the end 1990s, converted to Common Lisp and published under a GPL license. Macsyma (-> Computer Algebra) and Excel (Spreadsheet) are two very different applications.

anthk 2y ago
I mean that using software outside from its own boundaries was the original hacker spirit. Yes, I know about Macsyma, I tried it under ITS on Simh. Similary, Emacs got an apt environment outside of editing code with Org-Mode, ERC-TLS, Mastodon.el, EMMS... by properly modularizing the functions. Excel tries to do it all to fit all users in the same place. A recipe for disasters on serious environments. Some cores are just better to develop a usable environment. MacLisp was. Today Common Lisp it's more than able to fit almost any niche. Excel with VBA isn't a proper environment for scientific computing, it's too bound for office tasks, paperwork and accounting. Ditto with Access being overused as if it could complete with MariaDB, Oracle... generating even more bugs in software and potential issues and lawsuits, as it happened with the scientific papers. And, no, Libreoffice, even being libre software isn't a solution for serious computing either.
- lispm 2y ago
  > I mean that using software outside from its own boundaries was the original hacker spirit then Excel is the ultimate hacker software... ;-) > Excel with VBA isn't a proper environment for scientific computing But Excel has a user interface, documentation and help, how to solve various problems. Thus the end result is that lots of people were able to solve their practical problems. "Common Lisp", in its current popular form, lacks an accessible user interface and more recipes how to solve problems. It's an advanced experts tool. A better tool without a handle.

by lispm 2y ago

anthk 2y ago

I mean that using software outside from its own boundaries was the original hacker spirit. Yes, I know about Macsyma, I tried it under ITS on Simh. Similary, Emacs got an apt environment outside of editing code with Org-Mode, ERC-TLS, Mastodon.el, EMMS... by properly modularizing the functions. Excel tries to do it all to fit all users in the same place. A recipe for disasters on serious environments. Some cores are just better to develop a usable environment. MacLisp was. Today Common Lisp it's more than able to fit almost any niche. Excel with VBA isn't a proper environment for scientific computing, it's too bound for office tasks, paperwork and accounting. Ditto with Access being overused as if it could complete with MariaDB, Oracle... generating even more bugs in software and potential issues and lawsuits, as it happened with the scientific papers. And, no, Libreoffice, even being libre software isn't a solution for serious computing either.

lispm 2y ago
> I mean that using software outside from its own boundaries was the original hacker spirit then Excel is the ultimate hacker software... ;-) > Excel with VBA isn't a proper environment for scientific computing But Excel has a user interface, documentation and help, how to solve various problems. Thus the end result is that lots of people were able to solve their practical problems. "Common Lisp", in its current popular form, lacks an accessible user interface and more recipes how to solve problems. It's an advanced experts tool. A better tool without a handle.