In article <·······················@ts1-134.advancenet.net>,
James Hague <······@dadgum.com> wrote:
>I keep hearing mention of supposedly high performance Lisp
>implementations; systems that give C a run for its money in the
>performance department. But I haven't been able to find anything
>available for the all-pervasive Windows PC in a less than $5000 price
>range. So my questions:
>
>* Are there _really_ some hot Lisp systems out there that can stack up
>against popular non-lisp PC programming environments?
Sure. Allegro CL/PC is what, $500/copy? Presumably volume discounts
and/or site licenses are available. The new release (5.0) is based on
the same source code as the Unix version, which I've successfully used
to get C-like performance for frequently executed code.
I believe Harlequin's LispWorks for PC is in the same price range.
Understand that you will have to use type declarations and give up some
run time safety checks to get this kind of performance, much as you
would in C. But with the Common Lisp macro facility, you can often hide
much of the boilerplate and complexity beneath a programmer-friendly
veneer.
>* If they'd be fantastic for general application development, why are they
>such a well-kept secret?
Franz and Harlequin no are doubt wondering the same thing.
>* Are there any lower cost lisp or scheme systems that are suitable for
>more than just teaching?
If you don't mind running Linux on your PC, you can get a copy of
Allegro, INCLUDING THE NATIVE CODE COMPILER, for free. Is that cheap
enough?
IIRC Harlequin's FreeLisp product does not include a native code
compiler, but runs under Windows.
Disclaimer: I use Allegro on Unix workstations, and Harlequin on oddball
hardware, in my job. I paid good money for Macintosh Common Lisp to use
at home. No Lisp vendor currently pays me to say anything.
-- Chuck
--
Chuck Fry -- Jack of all trades, master of none
······@chucko.com (text only please) ········@home.com (MIME enabled)
Lisp bigot, mountain biker, car nut, sometime guitarist and photographer
In article <············@shell5.ba.best.com>, ······@best.com (Chuck Fry) wrote:
> IIRC Harlequin's FreeLisp product does not include a native code
> compiler, but runs under Windows.
Isn't it superseded by "LispWorks for Windows 4.1, Personal Edition"?
> Disclaimer: ... No Lisp vendor currently pays me to say anything.
Is that a request or a disclaimer? ;-)
--
http://www.lavielle.com/~joswig
In article <············@shell5.ba.best.com>,
Chuck Fry <······@best.com> wrote:
...
>>* Are there _really_ some hot Lisp systems out there that can stack up
>>against popular non-lisp PC programming environments?
>
>Sure. Allegro CL/PC is what, $500/copy?
I'm not sure you can deliver applications with that version.
>
>IIRC Harlequin's FreeLisp product does not include a native code
>compiler, but runs under Windows.
FreeLisp has thankfully been put out to pasture. The Personal
edition of LispWorks for Windows is now free.
--
Lyman S. Taylor "emacs - ... Do NOT use vi to edit your programs.
(·····@cc.gatech.edu) Watching you stuggle through the
edit/compile/debug cycle [with ] vi
will make me despair of your sanity..."
P. N. Hilfinger CS 164 Fall '92 Syllabus
·····@cc.gatech.edu (Lyman S. Taylor) writes:
> >IIRC Harlequin's FreeLisp product does not include a native code
> >compiler, but runs under Windows.
>
> FreeLisp has thankfully been put out to pasture. The Personal
> edition of LispWorks for Windows is now free.
And does include the compiler and full environment. You can't
use this (free) version to deliver applications, though. For
that you need the Professional Edition.