I decided to switch my personal programming language from python -> Common Lisp. This took quite a bit of work, since CL is quite an old school language it uses a lot of conventions not found in modern programming languages. When you search for a solution to a problem in CL you have to really dig or solve it yourself, since it is not a mainstream language that will pop up with hundreds of stack overflow responses after a quick google search. So why did I choose this language?
1. I had been programming in python 2.7 for quite some time and all of the sudden the hype was to switch to python3. This caused many backwards compatibility issues and i saw no reason for the "upgrade". Thus i decided to stick with python2.7, but then I thought to myself, "if a young programmer starts in python3, then someday he will be in my position, except the switch to python2->python3 will now be python3->python4." Thus maybe i am the young programmer whom i am speaking of, and python2.7 is already the unnecessary upgrade of an even older program So i rewinded the clock all the way back till I found Common Lisp.
2. Python does not allow for multiline lambda expressions.
3. Lisp allows for creating code templates with macros. It lets you program in a way not really possible in non lispy languages.
4. Lisp has been around for a while, and it has picked up a few well written libraries over the time. When I look for a solution to a problem I need just one working solution, not 100 working solutions.
5. Lisp programs are easy to send over text communication channels because they can be autoformatted (unlike python).
6. And finally, Common Lisp is used by smart people that I respect.