From: ···@BLACKWATER.symbolics.co.uk (Guy)
Subject: Commercial Lisp Work in UK??
Date: 6 Apr 1994 09:25:50 GMT
Does anyone have any idea if there is any significant
Lisp work being done in the UK? I know of a few in the
defence arena, but very little in the commercial domain.
The reason I ask is to gauge how much effort I should
invest in trying to remain a Lisp programmer, before
giving it up as a lost cause in the UK and moving on to
the more mundane world of C/C++.
Thanks for any info,
Guy Footring
Symbolics Ltd.
From: Nick Walton)@isengard.demon.co.uk (Nick Walton
Subject: Re: Commercial Lisp Work in UK??
Date:
Message-ID: <1@isengard.demon.co.uk>
In article <··············@mmbbs.mn.org> ···@mmbbs.mn.org (Guy) writes:
>From: ···@BLACKWATER.symbolics.co.uk (Guy)
>Subject: Commercial Lisp Work in UK??
>Date: 6 Apr 1994 09:25:50 GMT
>
>Does anyone have any idea if there is any significant
>Lisp work being done in the UK? I know of a few in the
>defence arena, but very little in the commercial domain.
>
Harlequin near Cambridge do a large amount of LISP work,
using their own LISP system LISPWORKS. I believe they
developed a system called Watson that is being used by
the police investigating the Cromwell Road murders.
My current employers use Common LISP for a commercial
available scheduling system. Unfortunately (IMHO of course)
they are porting to C++. There reasons may be of some interest
1. They are using Gold Hill Common LISP on 486PC's
This is buggy, and they are concerned that Gold Hill
could vanish into the ether, so leaving them up the creek
2. LISP programmers are too expensive (who are they joking I'm
worth every penny and more :-) )
3. C++ is seen to be more trendy in the market place. LISP
has got a bad image.
4. C++ is supported by more tools (esp. GUI builders) and is seen
as being more portable eg from DOS/Windows to UNIX/X-Windows
It may be the case that the arrival of more powerful LISP tools eg
CLIM & CLOS was too late to save the day, but I still go on fighting
my corner
Nick Walton (·····@isengard.demon.co.uk)
.... now where did I put that C++ in 21 days tutorial