From: Mario Storti
Subject: Lisp as extension language
Date: 
Message-ID: <dceddf5f.0402280258.a814206@posting.google.com>
I'm writing a FEM (Finite Element Method) program and I have already
written a rather large library in C++. FEM leads to linear algebra
problems (sparse linear systems of equations) with a very large number
of unknowns (say one million or more). The code runs in parallell on
beowulf clusters. Here are some links:

http://venus.ceride.gov.ar/petscfem
http://venus.ceride.gov.ar/twiki/bin/view/Cimec/PETScFEMResults 
http://venus.ceride.gov.ar/~mstorti/AHMED/tex/ahmed/ahmed.html

I'm now looking for an extension language to this program. I have
several alternatives and Lisp is one of them. Lisp has the advantage
that it is already known by many mechanical engineers due to AutoLisp
the languange extension for AutoCAD.

Now, I ask you which of the Lisp implementations is more suitable to
be taken as language extension, i.e. calling the C/C++ library from
Lisp. I have already some experience with Guile and I want to know if
there is something similar in the Common Lisp side.

Thanks in advance,

Mario
From: Brian Mastenbrook
Subject: Re: Lisp as extension language
Date: 
Message-ID: <280220040826481621%NOSPAMbmastenbNOSPAM@cs.indiana.edu>
In article <···························@posting.google.com>, Mario
Storti <·······@intec.unl.edu.ar> wrote:

> I'm writing a FEM (Finite Element Method) program and I have already
> written a rather large library in C++. FEM leads to linear algebra
> problems (sparse linear systems of equations) with a very large number
> of unknowns (say one million or more). The code runs in parallell on
> beowulf clusters. Here are some links:
> 
> http://venus.ceride.gov.ar/petscfem
> http://venus.ceride.gov.ar/twiki/bin/view/Cimec/PETScFEMResults 
> http://venus.ceride.gov.ar/~mstorti/AHMED/tex/ahmed/ahmed.html
> 
> I'm now looking for an extension language to this program. I have
> several alternatives and Lisp is one of them. Lisp has the advantage
> that it is already known by many mechanical engineers due to AutoLisp
> the languange extension for AutoCAD.
> 
> Now, I ask you which of the Lisp implementations is more suitable to
> be taken as language extension, i.e. calling the C/C++ library from
> Lisp. I have already some experience with Guile and I want to know if
> there is something similar in the Common Lisp side.

Have you looked at ECL? I suggest you check it out from CVS and play
with it. ECL has a very nice mixed C/Lisp syntax for integrating C - I
think you'll like it a lot.

-- 
Brian Mastenbrook
http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~bmastenb/