From: Barry Margolin
Subject: Re: Compiling/Linking of Lisp with other languages
Date: 
Message-ID: <2kdo79INNma8@early-bird.think.com>
In article <··········@pandora.sdsu.edu> ········@ucssun1.sdsu.edu (Yuan-chi (Bill) Chiu) writes:
>   After compiling a lisp program from within the environment, is the resultant
>compiled code ready to be executed alone?  Probably not (correct me if nil)

In most implementations, compiling a Lisp file results in a file that can
be loaded into a running Lisp environment.  Standalone executables are
generally produced by saving out a snapshot of the current environment.

There are some counterexamples, though.  I think Lisp-to-C translators
generally produce C main programs.  There's also WCL, a public domain CL
based on shared libraries.

>   I like Lisp as a programming language for solving problems.  But it isn't
>strong in fields such as building user-interface or communicating with the
>hardware; these jobs are easier done under C/C++ or OBERON.  So, if I want
>to use a Lisp function I wrote in my C/C++ program, how do I do it?

The usual way is to start the program in Lisp, and have it call C functions
using a foreign function interface.  Howver, Ibuki has a product that will
compile Common Lisp functions into linkable libraries.  I think you can
also do this with WCL.
-- 
Barry Margolin
System Manager, Thinking Machines Corp.

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