Re: Problem about source code of lisp

[Pascal Bourguignon <pjb@informatimago.com>]

"jronald" <followait@163.com> writes:
> I want to learn some principles of the implementation of lisp. I can't find 
> any doc.I have downloaded the clisp source. After untar, its size if 18.6M. 
> There are many .d and .lisp files, and a few .c files. I don't know how to 
> start. Could anyone help me? 

I wouldn't start with a full Common Lisp implementation.

First, read SICP
http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/full-text/book/book-Z-H-4.html
You'll find Chapter 4 interesting.

Then you may want to buy and read "LISP IN SMALL PIECES" (no on-line version)
http://www-spi.lip6.fr/~queinnec/WWW/LiSP.html

or read a CL implementation sources, but I'd advise one that is
written in Lisp, not one written in C like "C"lisp.

Have a look at the sources of OpenMCL, probably the cleanest, or of
SBCL.  They have only little bootstrap C or assembly code, compared to
emacs lisp or clisp that are mostly written in C.

On the other hand, one part that might be interesting to read in clisp
is the compiler, which is written in lisp and is simplier than the
other compilers since it targets a lisp-friendly virtual machine.

-- 
__Pascal Bourguignon__                     http://www.informatimago.com/

"I have challenged the entire quality assurance team to a Bat-Leth
contest.  They will not concern us again."