Comments on: A Few Thoughts on Lisp and Programming in General http://ztkfg.com/2020/01/a-few-thoughts-on-lisp-and-programming-in-general/ 198.211.113.164 // 6326 273B 61A7 00AF 4CD9 5A7B 8C6C AB19 24A6 4DEC Fri, 24 Apr 2026 04:29:56 +0000 http://polimedia.us hourly 1 By: Jacob Welsh http://ztkfg.com/2020/01/a-few-thoughts-on-lisp-and-programming-in-general/#comment-172 Jacob Welsh Wed, 22 Jan 2020 03:47:41 +0000 http://ztkfg.com/?p=399#comment-172 It's not really, not for anything fundamental. I do wonder now what those 24k lines in the kernel tree are for; probably some kind of testing or documentation tools or the like, but not required for the main build. Portage and yum and other higher level tools use it, sure. So like Perl, it's included by default on many systems, so may feel like a lighter dependency. I guess it depends whose environment you're trying to optimize for. But at least from the angle of understanding your own code, going with the <a href="http://logs.ossasepia.com/log/ossasepia/2020-01-17#1015275" rel="nofollow">crowd</a> doesn't buy you much. It's not really, not for anything fundamental. I do wonder now what those 24k lines in the kernel tree are for; probably some kind of testing or documentation tools or the like, but not required for the main build. Portage and yum and other higher level tools use it, sure. So like Perl, it's included by default on many systems, so may feel like a lighter dependency. I guess it depends whose environment you're trying to optimize for. But at least from the angle of understanding your own code, going with the crowd doesn't buy you much.

]]> By: whaack http://ztkfg.com/2020/01/a-few-thoughts-on-lisp-and-programming-in-general/#comment-171 whaack Wed, 22 Jan 2020 02:58:28 +0000 http://ztkfg.com/?p=399#comment-171 Well then, lol. My reasoning for not noting the lines of python was : afaik python is used to <a href="http://trinque.org/2019/12/28/a-republican-os-part-1/" rel="nofollow">implement various parts of linux</a> so it's bundled in the OS anyways. Thus as it stands using CL means you need to add a binary formed from 471,556 LOC while using python (although also obscenely large) does not require adding a new binary to the os. Well then, lol.

My reasoning for not noting the lines of python was : afaik python is used to implement various parts of linux so it's bundled in the OS anyways. Thus as it stands using CL means you need to add a binary formed from 471,556 LOC while using python (although also obscenely large) does not require adding a new binary to the os.

]]> By: Jacob Welsh http://ztkfg.com/2020/01/a-few-thoughts-on-lisp-and-programming-in-general/#comment-170 Jacob Welsh Wed, 22 Jan 2020 02:12:14 +0000 http://ztkfg.com/?p=399#comment-170 <blockquote> But is there a benefit from a CL program that is "15% shorter" than its python equivalent if it takes 471,556 additional lines of sbcl to be able to use it?</blockquote> Well, um, while we're using blunt instruments... <blockquote>~/src/Python-2.7.16 0$ find . -type f -print0 | xargs -0 cat | wc -l 1792916</blockquote> And that doesn't even get you a compiler.

But is there a benefit from a CL program that is "15% shorter" than its python equivalent if it takes 471,556 additional lines of sbcl to be able to use it?

Well, um, while we're using blunt instruments...

~/src/Python-2.7.16 0$ find . -type f -print0 | xargs -0 cat | wc -l
1792916

And that doesn't even get you a compiler.

]]>