I’ve been thinking a lot about the history of Lisp and how it got to be the way it is. Lisp had many advantages over other languages designed by committee. The social setting allowed for experimentation and fast adoption of features. It was a research language that managed to incorporate new ideas quickly.
People talk today about how many programming languages have borrowed features from Lisp. I would like to suggest that many languages have also borrowed the social/development model.
I hope I’m not being too simplistic with this take on the history. Anyone who was there might want to chime in to correct any mistakes.
Since Lispers tend to model all problems as lists, here is a list:
1. Lisp was disorganized
Each programmer added his own features to the system. As programmers developed their applications, pieces of those applications were folded into the language. Lisp (originally) was not committee-ware.
Result: Lisp grew and evolved constantly
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2. Lisp was created by youth
Lisp was built on the backs of graduate students. Principally at MIT and Stanford, two of the most competitive Computer Science schools in the nation. A lot of hours went into it. They were dedicated, passionate users.
Result: Lisp users were enthusiastic. They were also the developers.
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3. Lisp was local
Every lab wrote their own Lisp. Sometimes they had experience with another Lisp. They brought what they learned. But basically, each Lisp was separate and could only exchange with other Lisps after long intervals.
Result: Lisps evolved on their own and cross-pollinated high-level ideas occasionally
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4. Lisp re-bootstrapped occasionally
Lisp was rewritten occasionally (as in #3 above, or when your lab got a new machine). This ensured constant evolution even at a single lab. New features that couldn’t be implemented using Lisp’s programmability were finally added when the system was rebuilt.
Result: The technology of Lisp was never more than a decade old
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What do we find today?
I’ll leave the thought here for you to continue. Maybe Lisp now has better social conditions. Maybe they’re worse. I’d love to hear what you have to say.
