Re: [Axiom-developer] Re: learning Lisp

[William Sit]

Bill Page wrote:
> 
> Tim,
> 
> On December 5, 2005 11:22 PM you wrote:
> > an ordinary user wouldn't want to do this (which is why it
> > isn't documented)
> 
> I know you know that that is a *very* poor reason for not
> documenting it! :)

Now that this is in the "open", perhaps should change $dalymode to $lispmode?

> > but it is useful for two other class of users, the person
> > doing maintenance on the interpreter and the advanced spad
> > programmer who is writing $LISP based functions.
> >
> 
> If I set $dalymode then:
> 
> (xxx ...)
> 
> is just a shorthand for
> 
> )lisp (xxx ...)
> 
> isn't it? So this is just a matter of convenience, not a
> significant new kind of functionality for the interpreter. But
> $dalymode cannot be set true always because there is a small
> possibility that (xxx ...) should really be interpreted as an
> Axiom expression, right?


The convenience is useful, but I also believe it is not robust in the Axiom
environment. Also, must EVERY lisp expression begin with a left paren? For
example, the quoted expression '(aa bb cc) would have to be entered more
clumsily as (list 'aa 'bb 'cc), if it appears at the beginning, right?

Also, as conjectured in another email (or see Sandbox Lisp), not every entry
point to the Interpreter is intercepted to make this conversion.

William