[Gcl-devel] Re: Problems with the 'On Lisp' development model ...

[Camm Maguire]

The following message is a courtesy copy of an article
that has been posted to comp.lang.lisp as well.

Greetings!

Frode Vatvedt Fjeld <address@hidden> writes:

> Camm Maguire <address@hidden> writes:
> 
> > Developers like lisp in part because everything, including the
> > compiler, is so well integrated.  Well, the downside of this is that
> > when one needs to fix something in any one layer, GCL and all its
> > dependent programs must be recompiled to incorporate the change.
> > What looks great from a development point of view looks pretty bad
> > from a 'shipping and maintaining working applications' point of
> > view.
> 
> Could you explain more clearly what it is that causes you to need to
> recompile GCL and all its dependents?
> 

Well, GCL has a 'heap' of memory with all its functions, symbols,
packages, compiler, etc.  maxima, acl2, and axiom essentially compile
and load new packages and functions into this heap, and dump the
result to an executable file.  In fact, in axiom's case, there are
several intermediary layers in this compile/load/dump cycle.

Take care,

> -- 
> Frode Vatvedt Fjeld

-- 
Camm Maguire                                            address@hidden
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"The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens."  --  Baha'u'llah