Totally Newfang!

[Möwe]

Hello everyone!

I am compleatly new to the forum, to lisp and to programming at all, I hardly know anything about computers. But I'm interested in programming and have decided to try out Lisp as a first program! Next fall, I have decided to start Uni and im thinking about study computer programming and Lisp seems to be the program that they teach there. Therefore i'm gonna try and teach myself as much as possible beforhand to see if im interested and if its fun and something for me. But im not a quitter! So the questions I have to you at the forum is;

Is this forum noob-friendly? Can I ask beginner question about lisp or is it better if I read some kind of book first and learn the basics and more advance then come back?
I would be happy for any help I can get and if you think that this forum is not for me then I would gladly take any advice from you how to get started with lisp! (I mean... right now I dont even knwo how to open the thingy that allows you to type in code(?))

I'm pretty sure I have downloaded CLisp correctly and would be happy for any reply!

[ramarren]

Welcome to the forum. Please do not use the term "newfag", this is not 4chan and someone might find that offensive.

Is this forum noob-friendly? Can I ask beginner question about lisp or is it better if I read some kind of book first and learn the basics and more advance then come back?

I would like to believe we are friendly to new people, but a forum is not really a place to explain the very basics of programming. So you should read some books. A good free introduction to programming using CL is Gentle Introduction to Symbolic Computation. There is also Practical Common Lisp, although it assumes some previous experience with programming.

I would be happy for any help I can get and if you think that this forum is not for me then I would gladly take any advice from you how to get started with lisp! (I mean... right now I dont even knwo how to open the thingy that allows you to type in code(?))

It would be helpful to know what operating system you are using. Most opensource Lisp implementations, especially Common Lisp, are Linux oriented. For them usually Emacs with SLIME is used as an editor and IDE. For Windows commercial implementations are more common and they have their own systems.

[Warren Wilkinson]

Add an 'n' and become 'newfang' short for newfangled. There are three main hurdles before you:

1. The first hurdle is to get lisp (any lisp) running.
2. The second is to get an IDE you can live with
3. The third is to familiarize yourself with the basics. Get a good starter book and retype and run the examples, it's a far faster way of learning than skimming the examples.

Google will be your friend throughout this adventure.

[Möwe]

Thanx a bunch dudes!!! As u may understand as im not that familliar with programming im sitting on a windows computer but ill look into the possibilities on getting linux to some of my other computers. And Ive downloaded SLIME and will try getting it running. Ill be back for more questions later I guess.
thx again

and allthou i use some dummb terms sometimes im not a 4chan user and I wont act as one so dont worry and im sorry if I offended someone

[Möwe]

Reading the book and getting really exited about this I dont know how to get slimes and emacs to work on my lousy windows but instead I find myself writing exersises with pen and paper hahaha.

[trillioneyes]

I use Lisp Cabinet. It comes with Emacs, Slime, and sbcl and ccl compilers already set up. (Unfortunately I can't seem to figure out how to attach new lisps to slime, but that's probably because I'm not working that hard on it.)

[findinglisp]

Welcome! Yes, this site is newbie friendly.

[FKeeL]

Hi Möwe

I myself am pretty much a noob to all of this as well, but here is my advice to you

a) Dont get linux. Linux is not a operating system such as Windows or Mac which will simply work. Linux requires you to know quite a bit about UNIX systems if you want to do anything more complex than running open office. If you are really a beginner, then getting started with Linux in order to learn Lisp may be an additional hurdle which could just end up leaving you frustrated. Just download the lisp interpreter (is lisp really an interpreted language? I have the impression its both?) by Franz (http://www.franz.com/) and start coding.

b) Get linux. I find Unix environments are way superior to Windows due to the flexibility of the command line. Of course, you need to know what you are doing. (which I dont. I just watch in awe when someone does in the unix command line something in 5 minutes which takes me 3 hours to do in windows...)

Anyway. Thats all

good luck

p.

[xibalba]

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