FAQ: Lisp Frequently Asked Questions 2/7 [Monthly posting] (original) (raw)

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;;; **************************************************************** ;;; Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Lisp *************** ;;; **************************************************************** ;;; Written by Mark Kantrowitz and Barry Margolin ;;; lisp_2.faq

This post contains Part 2 of the Lisp FAQ.

If you think of questions that are appropriate for this FAQ, or would like to improve an answer, please send email to us at ai+lisp-faq@cs.cmu.edu.

Topics Covered (Part 2):

[2-1] Is there a GNU-Emacs interface to Lisp? [2-2] When should I use a hash table instead of an association list? [2-3] What is the equivalent of EXPLODE and IMPLODE in Common Lisp? [2-4] Is Lisp inherently slower than more conventional languages such as C? [2-5] Why does Common Lisp have "#'"? [2-6] How do I call non-Lisp functions from Lisp? [2-7] Can I call Lisp functions from other languages? [2-8] I want to call a function in a package that might not exist at compile time. How do I do this?
[2-9] What is CDR-coding? [2-10] What is garbage collection? [2-11] How do I save an executable image of my loaded Lisp system? How do I run a Unix command in my Lisp? How do I exit Lisp? Access environment variables? [2-12] I'm porting some code from a Symbolics Lisp machine to some other platform, and there are strange characters in the code. What do they mean?
[2-13] History: Where did Lisp come from? [2-14] How do I find the argument list of a function? How do I get the function name from a function object? [2-15] How can I have two Lisp processes communicate via unix sockets? [2-16] How can I create a stream that acts like UNIX's /dev/null (i.e., gobbles any output and immediately signals EOF on input operations)? [2-17] Read-time conditionalization of code (#+ #- and features)
[2-18] What reader macro characters are used in major Lisp systems? [2-19] How do I determine if a file is a directory or not? How do I get the current directory name from within a Lisp program? Is there any way to create a directory? [2-20] What is a "Lisp Machine" (LISPM)? [2-21] How do I tell if a symbol names a function and not a macro?

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Last Update March 27 2014 @ 02:11 PM