In need of user-friendly Lisp interpreter
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 11:56 am
I started teaching myself Lisp just this week, and I've hit my first major hurdle: I can't seem to find an interpreter/compiler that works for me. I have tried four of them so far, and I'm assuming they're four of the more popular ones. I'm not sure. I have tried the following interpreters:
Poplog (w/ Lisp language loaded)
Ufasoft Lisp Studio
GNU CLisp (Windows version. It's a generic name, but this is the one w/ a Menorah as its launch icon)
Visual Lisp for AutoCAD (I believe this one interprets AutoLISP, a dialect of Lisp that CAD uses, not sure though)
Of the four, I have had most success w/ Visual Lisp (or VLisp for short). It highlights commands, parentheses, etc. Poplog and Ufasoft Lisp Studio are both very primitive (virtually just cmd prompts) and I have difficulty using them. GNU CLisp is a bit more manageable, but I still have difficulty using it. I guess my problem is that I've never done anything coding-related before. Well, I wrote programs for my TI-84 calculator back in 10th grade, but that's about it. I think those were in BASIC, i don't even know. So, in addition to learning the language (I'm using LispTutor Jr right now), I also have to teach myself the basics of using interpreters, compilers, and the like.
In short, I'm lost. I need something to verify the code that I'm attempting, and I can't find anything user-friendly enough to not interfere with my limited knowledge of Lisp in itself. Can anybody direct me to one that's perfect for me? Or if not, are any of the four that I listed workable, if I were to know a few shortcuts or commands?
Also, this is my first post here. I hope to be active here as I pick up on my first coding language. I don't mean to promote competition for this forum, but are there any other communities that I could look into for Lisp help?
Poplog (w/ Lisp language loaded)
Ufasoft Lisp Studio
GNU CLisp (Windows version. It's a generic name, but this is the one w/ a Menorah as its launch icon)
Visual Lisp for AutoCAD (I believe this one interprets AutoLISP, a dialect of Lisp that CAD uses, not sure though)
Of the four, I have had most success w/ Visual Lisp (or VLisp for short). It highlights commands, parentheses, etc. Poplog and Ufasoft Lisp Studio are both very primitive (virtually just cmd prompts) and I have difficulty using them. GNU CLisp is a bit more manageable, but I still have difficulty using it. I guess my problem is that I've never done anything coding-related before. Well, I wrote programs for my TI-84 calculator back in 10th grade, but that's about it. I think those were in BASIC, i don't even know. So, in addition to learning the language (I'm using LispTutor Jr right now), I also have to teach myself the basics of using interpreters, compilers, and the like.
In short, I'm lost. I need something to verify the code that I'm attempting, and I can't find anything user-friendly enough to not interfere with my limited knowledge of Lisp in itself. Can anybody direct me to one that's perfect for me? Or if not, are any of the four that I listed workable, if I were to know a few shortcuts or commands?
Also, this is my first post here. I hope to be active here as I pick up on my first coding language. I don't mean to promote competition for this forum, but are there any other communities that I could look into for Lisp help?