Slightly off-topic, but I've been doing some reading about LISP of
late, and sometime in the last few weeks, I remember coming across a
witty quote regarding LISP. Unfortunately, I don't remember exactly
how it went, and I can't for the life of me track down the source again
(it might have been someone's blog, or some intro to LISP document). I
was hoping someone else here might have also read it and can point me
to the source, or at least the proper wording. Again, sorry that I
can't remember the exact wording, but it went something like:
"...a LISP beginner realizes ____, an intermediate LISP user realizes
____, but a true master realizes ____."
The "____" has something to do with code vs. data.
Thanks in advance.
Tom.
···········@gmail.com wrote:
> I was hoping someone else here might have also read it and can point me
> to the source, or at least the proper wording. Again, sorry that I
> can't remember the exact wording, but it went something like:
>
> "...a LISP beginner realizes ____, an intermediate LISP user realizes
> ____, but a true master realizes ____."
With the clues you have given, I easily found this via Google. It was
written in the MSDN blog of some Microsoft guy in India named Sriran
Krishnan:
http://blogs.msdn.com/sriram/archive/2006/01/15/lisp_is_sin.aspx
The real challenge is finding the original author. Another blog I found
claims that Krishnan is repeating an "old saw".
That's it exactly! Many thanks!
Tom.
Kaz Kylheku wrote:
> ···········@gmail.com wrote:
> > I was hoping someone else here might have also read it and can point me
> > to the source, or at least the proper wording. Again, sorry that I
> > can't remember the exact wording, but it went something like:
> >
> > "...a LISP beginner realizes ____, an intermediate LISP user realizes
> > ____, but a true master realizes ____."
>
> With the clues you have given, I easily found this via Google. It was
> written in the MSDN blog of some Microsoft guy in India named Sriran
> Krishnan:
>
> http://blogs.msdn.com/sriram/archive/2006/01/15/lisp_is_sin.aspx
>
> The real challenge is finding the original author. Another blog I found
> claims that Krishnan is repeating an "old saw".
Kaz Kylheku wrote:
> ···········@gmail.com wrote:
>
>>I was hoping someone else here might have also read it and can point me
>>to the source, or at least the proper wording. Again, sorry that I
>>can't remember the exact wording, but it went something like:
>>
>>"...a LISP beginner realizes ____, an intermediate LISP user realizes
>>____, but a true master realizes ____."
>
>
> With the clues you have given, I easily found this via Google. It was
> written in the MSDN blog of some Microsoft guy in India named Sriran
> Krishnan:
>
> http://blogs.msdn.com/sriram/archive/2006/01/15/lisp_is_sin.aspx
>
> The real challenge is finding the original author. Another blog I found
> claims that Krishnan is repeating an "old saw".
>
You mean? http://cs.uni.edu/~wallingf/blog/archives/cat_3.html
"In speaking of his growth as a Lisp programmer, Krishnan repeats an old
saw about the progression of a Lisp programmer that captures some of the
magic of functional programming:
... the newbie realizes that the difference between code and data
is trivial. The expert realizes that all code is data. And the true
master realizes that all data is code. "
You people do not listen to me on ACL, you do not listen to me on Cells,
why am I not surprised you do not listen to me on the tao?
Ch. 41, from this translation:
http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/taote-v3.html#41
"When a superior man hears of the Tao,
he immediately begins to embody it.
When an average man hears of the Tao,
he half believes it, half doubts it.
When a foolish man hears of the Tao,
he laughs out loud.
If he didn't laugh,
it wouldn't be the Tao."
Actually, that last bit /does/ remind me of the #lisp IRC consensus on
Cells.
In case it is not clear, I am guessing Wallingford was speaking loosely
and meant to say Krishan was mimicking a passage, not repeating it.
kzo
--
The Dalai Lama gets the same crap all the time.
-- Kenny Tilton on c.l.l when accused of immodesty