Problem about source code of lisp

Problem about source code of lisp

[jronald]

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? 

Re: Problem about source code of lisp

[Adam]

Err. read the "implementation notes"  ? 


jronald wrote:

> 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?

Re: Problem about source code of lisp

[Pascal Bourguignon]

"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."

Re: Problem about source code of lisp

[robert.thorpe]

jronald wrote:
> 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?

It's probably better to read some of the things Pascal mentions. The
Emacs lisp interpreter is also reasonably easy to understand.

CLisp is extremely complex, almost every weird programming trick in the
book is used in it.  Also many of the variable names are in german
which makes things extra hard to understand.  Every other Common Lisp
implementation I've looked at the source code of (ECL, GCL & SBCL) is
easier to read than CLisp.