Why aren't we all speaking LISP now?

[Grant Edwards]

On Sat, 12 May 2001 15:20:55 GMT, Fredrik Lundh <fredrik at pythonware.com> wrote:

>> Why do people think Python is so Lisp-like?
>
>I think the the correct question is "why do Lisp people
>think Python is so Lisp-like"
>
>>   1. Python doesn't have tail-recursion (AFAIK).
>
>isn't required, and no implementation supports it.  but it's
>not forbidden either, as far as I can tell.

But it is required in Lisp implimentations since recursion is
the standard MO.  Without tail-recusion many Lisp programs
would not be able to run in reasonable memory footprints.

>what exactly is the difference between Python's call model
>and Smalltalk's message passing?  

Not much.  I think that support my argument even more:  Python
is much more like Smalltalk and M3 than it is like Lisp.

> consider something like:
>
>    spam.egg(bacon)
>
>couldn't this be seen as sending the message "egg" to the
>object "spam"?

Sure.  I guess the big difference is probably that Smalltalk is
100% object-oriented where Python has fundamental types that
aren't classes from which you can inherit.

-- 
Grant Edwards                   grante             Yow!  Should I do my BOBBIE
                                  at               VINTON medley?
                               visi.com