Re: [EXTERNAL] Re: Axiom musings...

[Tim Daly]

I occasionally get grief because Axiom is implemented
in Common Lisp. People don't seem to like that for some
odd reason. Lisp, one of the easiest languages to learn,
seems to be difficult to accept.

I'm working with John Harrison's book "Practical Logic
and Automated Reasoning" from 2009. It uses OCaml
to implement the programs.

I've downloaded the OCaml sources from the website.
Apparently OCaml has changed significantly from 2009
since the code no longer compiles, spitting out "Alert
deprecated" all over the place and simply failing in places.

C++ code has a "standard", well, several "standards".
When someone asks "Do you know C++" you really
need to qualify that question. What you knew about
"standard C++" seems to change every 2 years.

I recently pulled out my KROPS code, used as the
basis for IBM's Expert System FAME. It was written
in Common Lisp (on a Symbolics machine). It still runs
unmodified despite being written about 40 years ago
on hardware and a software stack that no longer exists.

Axiom, written in the last century, still compiles and
runs. Say what you want about Lisp code, it still is the
most portable and long-lasting language I've ever used.

Tim