GoKawiilThe question that most programmers face when seeing some Lisp code for the first time is, without doubt, “what the hell is this?”. I asked myself the same thing when I first read its unconventional syntax: all those parentheses, the weird indentation, and who thought to use the first argument of format to print to stdout?
( defun flip-coin-for-real () ( <= ( random 100 ) 80 )) ( defun hello-lisp () ( write-line "What is your name?" ) ( let ((name ( read-line )) (learn-it ( if (flip-coin-for-real) "should" "should not" ))) ( format t "Hello, ~A.~%" name) ( format t "The Oracle said... you ~A learn Lisp!~%" learn-it)))
After getting comfortable reading code with so many parentheses, I had to learn how to use packages and symbols, how to create new projects and import libraries, how to use the REPL, and how to use conditions and restarts. Most importantly, I had to switch to a new way of thinking when constructing algorithms.
The Lisp journey has a steep learning curve compared to most common languages. But it can also unlock skills that those languages never will. Why? Because in Lisp you can do things that are not possible in other languages. Lisp enables new possibilities and allows algorithms to take different shapes, giving the programmer more power and flexibility.
Paul Graham coined the term Blub paradox to explain why it is difficult for programmers who have only used less powerful languages to understand the power of Lisp. In short, it’s because they are missing the concepts needed to perceive what is lacking in those languages and the advantage Lisp has over them. Louis Armstrong said something similar about jazz:
If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know. — Louis Armstrong.
In this article, I’ll explain a few features that show why this special language is worth learning. It’s not an easy path, and to truly grasp its power you’ll need to use Lisp yourself. And even if you don’t end up using Lisp, you will gain a different perspective on what programming languages can do.
Lisp is going to make you a better programmer because it changes the way you think about problems using code. To be more specific, it will teach you an approach that is not possible with other programming languages. You will be able to program Lisp itself and thus adapt the language you use to the problems you are solving. Using Lisp, you will learn to grow the language toward your problem, then write the program in that language.
Extensibility
Lisp is extensible within itself. Experts — called lispers — commonly refer to it as the programmable programming language1. Not only will you write code for your programs, but you can write code that extends Lisp itself.
... continue reading