From whence Lisp envy?

[Aaron K. Johnson]

In message <87adj5qp6z.fsf at key.localdomain>, Patrick W wrote:
> Aaron K. Johnson <akjmicro at yahoo.com> writes:
> 
> > ... ugly syntax
> 
> Most people seem to agree with you on that.  Dunno why, but from the
> first time I encountered s-expressions (coming from a very different
> background in C++ etc), I found them beautiful (conceptually if not
> visually). 
> 
> >  and lame libraries--
> 
> Compared with Python's libraries, libraries in the free / open source
> Lisp implementations are quite bare, that's true.  The commercial CL
> implementations (AllegroCL, LispWorks) have much more complete
> libraries -- but I don't use them myself.  If I want to drive the OS
> or the network or a graphics library or an RDBMS with a high level
> language I use Python.
> 
> > but be able to prove
> > mathematical soundness....
> 
> You must be thinking of the FP crew.  The Lisp community parted
> company with the purists several decades ago (though I guess it
> lingers on in Scheme, to some extent).
> 
> > > Lisp is, in many ways, a more powerful language than Python, 
> > 
> > because of?...... don't tell me....macros, right? 
> 
> We're not supposed to mention macros ... because ... because
> .... (uhhh, why the fuck not, exactly?) ... you skipped the reasoning
> altogether).
> 
> Take away the unique quality of anything, and then explain why it's
> unique.  Describe the remarkable power of a quadriplegic weightlifter.
> (You see some purpose in the task you're setting me?)
> 
> Even without macros, Lisp is arguably more powerful than Python -- but
> who really cares?  Lisp *isn't* without macros.
> 
> > You can't see it, but I am holding Python pompoms every time I write in
> > c.l.python! 
> 
> Oh I see that.  But something tells me that's not all you're
> holding. ;-)

Now that I'm a married man, its getting harder to do that at the computer ;)

-Aaron.