Lisp Programming Language - Article Example

Number] Lisp Programming Language Lisp stands for ‘List Processing’. It is a modern and distinctive,but completely parenthesized syntax language, which enables it users to enter brief and complete command in less time. The codes and commands perform a complete job and do not require the programmer to insert meagre details along side. The multi-paradigm, compiled, and high-performing language was invented by John McCarthy in 1958 during his time in Massachusetts Institute of Technology. McCarthy’s original and initial design of lisp was printed in the journal ‘Communication of the ACM’ with the name of ‘Recursive functions of symbolic expressions and their computation by machine’ during the year 1960 (Barski, 6). Lisp is one of the oldest programming languages among Fortan and Cobol and it has also been linked to Artificial Intelligence (AI) since its inception. Up recently, it has been used vastly in diverse fields like finance, education, data processing of any type and in research arena as well. Original Lisp used bracketed expressions for meta and symbolic expressions. It was used to run on IBM 704, which enabled its assembly language to run its first operations. Lisp original compiler was produced by Tim Hart and Mike Levin. It established the notion of incremental compilation in functional programming. In 1970, LISP usage in commercial programming by AI extended to an extent that it produced the need to invent machinery, which could support unlimited functioning of it (Ivancevic, Vladimir , Tijana and Ivancevic, 139). Limited memory, garbage collection, internal structures, and internal environment needs generated the need for innovative machinery. Initially the aim behind inventing lisp was to use mathematical formalism as a computation method. Thus, recursion equations were used for reasoning and till date it has evolved into a family of languages. After four decades of survival, lisp has been used widely especially, in AI (artificial Intelligence) since its inception. It is the second oldest and most used programming language, which has seen modification in dialects. It is considered as a flexible language of programming that supports object oriented programs with swift prototyping quality. The most general and popular dialects of lisp are Scheme and Common lisp dialects. Common lisp enables a dominative macro system which facilitates the programmer to form and shape his applications with a flexible run-time environment. This advantage of lisp ensures adjustments and correction of running programs easy. Hence, it has been recommended as the most beneficial language for server side progress and for software which need to be run for long durations. The most supportive and advantageous feature of Lisp is its multi-paradigm aspect, which permits the programmer to program according to application domain and also opt for the strategy and concept for it accordingly as well. As the most favoured and opted language of AI, it introduced many intricate and multi-serving concepts like tree data structures, self-hosting compiler, automatic storage administration dynamic typing (Seibel, 3) Since it is a list processing (Lisp) language; therefore, the linked lists are considered the chief data of it. The source codes are also made up from the data structure list. Simultaneously, it maximizes the efficiency of macro system and permits the programmer to produce fresh syntax and domain specific languages. Though, Lisp does not have built-in inference method, but it can be applied in the language without any issue. Lisp interpreter is an extensive function that is based on two arguments provided to it by the programmer. The first argument entails the name of the function and the second argument is a list of arguments for which the first argument was induced. The interpreter was designed to resolve many arithmetic calculations at a time unlike a common calculator. The interpreter possessed expressions in two different types either idioms or forms. Forms are also of two types, internal and external. Internal form deals with the internal processing of the expressions inside a computer irrespective of the type of computer. External form is also a top level, which uses 7090 computer to interpret symbolic or meta expressions. The interchangeable nature of the data and commands provide the language its syntax system. The commands or codes of programs are inscribed in terms of expression or as parenthesized lists. Data structure list in Lisp is essential for the sake of AI programming as artificial programming needs flexibility and its programmer does not need to state in advance for the type of data in the list. List also has a wide spectrum of functions and meanings for instance, it can be commands, formats, processes, and applications. Initially Lisp was only developed to execute short and simple list manipulating purposes, which laid the foundation for identifying and executing more intricate functions. Contemporary developments and implementations in Lisp have produced specific dialects and facilitated developers. Considerable modification and invention in Scheme has enabled the Common Lisp programmer to be influenced by it as well. Guy Lewis Steele Jr. And Gerald Jay Sussman developed Scheme Lisp, which is tailed recursive dialect with statically scope. The aim behind it was to develop a language with simple and apparent semantics with diverse ways to develop expressions. Hence, scheme lisp is an acceptable and opportune platform for programming concepts, which entail functional, imperative, and message forwarding methods. Scheme showed efficiency in static scope of rules and block structure intertwined in typed simple commands. It also entails escape procedures, which were synthesized from sequential control structures. Scheme also established the ideas of exact and inexact numbers, sustained hygienic macros, and allowed increased consistency of block structured syntax (Dybvig, 18). Top of Form Bottom of Form Alongside, it was the primary programming language (Scheme) that differentiated the expressions, procedures, and symbols of lambda (Mitchell, 39). Scheme also enabled its user to employ particularly one lexical environment for all its variables. Yet, one major advantage was to analyse the position of operator and operand for a procedure call in comparable manner. The popular and most widely used high-level language signified that tail-recursive procedure calls develop a path that passes arguments. Likewise, Scheme is highly dependent on procedure calls for the sake of iteration of expression. Common Lisp language is also a high-level functional language for dynamic and common purpose and is object oriented. CLISP is a collaborative effort of Bruno Haible and Michael Stoll of Germany. CLISP is also termed as ANSI language with numerous extensions. Its software contains compiler, Perl, interpreter, CLOS, socket interface, debugger, and arbitrary precision floats etc. It is mostly used on Unix, Windows, and GNU system. Common Lisp is extensive in nature than Scheme. It entails many features which do not exist in Scheme like arrays, hash tables, for language extension object oriented and dominant macro features, packages and etc. Common Lisp requires numbers and makes them transferable. It demands all the implementations to facilitate rational, floating point, complex floating and rational numbers and integer arbitrary precisions. In Common Lisp compiler does not optimizes tail calls like Scheme, instead it its uses an extensive and full set of iteration primitives for tail recursion. Programs or data in Common Lisp need the inserted data to be equivalent for the sake of process. Lisp data symbolizes and operate Common lisp codes and this is a chief attribute of its macro system, which distinguish Scheme and Common Lisp mainly. Function names and data objects are different in it and it has a multiple name spaces pattern and Scheme uses single name space pattern. Common Lisp uses functional value of expression instead of its variable value and there is slight change in the syntax for two languages. Clisp proudly present its prominent characteristics like debugging and inscribing programs. These features allow Clisp to fully integrate its programs without getting confused with the values of the codes. Lisp inspector also inspects arbitrary objects and it also determines the value of the slot for the sake of configuration. Clips class tools offers to search for accessors linked to the objects of the existing system. How and where Lisp has been used? Lisp has been used worldwide around the globe. It has been tackling the most intricate web applications of the virtual world. Since its inception it has evolved and developed into a family of languages. Yahoo a renowned web browser uses editor which is programmed in Lisp. Artificial Intelligence and technology industry is using Lisp language to formulate their code of instructions. Moreover, it is also used by the companies to protect their consumers from deception. Financial and telecommunication industry also uses it to device their system of management (virtual). Most of the online database and foundation of companies is developed using Lisp language as it is used to develop solution for intricate problems. The most flexible macro system offers it developers to generate approximation initially for any specific process and later on he can add commands to shape the expression according to the requirements. This procedure is interactive and supports configuration robust mechanism. The large system of Lisp does not require new data for methods as it recompiles the data inserted in it already to process new functions. Many incremental changes can be observed in Lisp since its inception, like; its garbage collector a part of its automatic storage system; protects old data and restores it if needed to be used in another program (Norving, 25). Lisp facilitates its user and accommodates every new function or class definition entered in it. The new data or class definition is updated instantly and programmer has to do less effort to bring the changes in the overall system. Its predetermined libraries enable swift prototyping and application delivery mechanism. Moreover, garbage collector saves time of the programmer for inserting storage collection commands. It facilitates easy, simple, and flexible programming style for modular codes. The most advantageous aspect in Lisp is that it does not wastes programmers time to recompile each module of alterations, but it does it automatically without instructions. Like any other programming system it also entails the feature of add and delete, which is done through recompilation. Error diagnoses and error handling is a skilled feature which enables programmers to insert new features in their system. To add one more advantage, Lisp has a strong and adequate error handling system, which provides numerous options to resolve an error. Plus, it’s passive in nature and manages diverse types of errors actively without the need of human vigilance. This mechanism of Lisp makes it a language where programmers develop and test new modules easily and detect the nature of fault quickly in doing so. Lisp also enables its user to insert and run codes with no specific or prior type codes declarations. Hence, Lisp energetically establishes codes type and enables runtime transmit accordingly. Lisp neither requires any expensive hardware nor specifies any specific purpose software. The macro system is not pricey according to the type and is available in personal editions, but with few limitations as well. Artificial Intelligence applications have been highly influenced by Lisp since its origination. Majority of AI applications, industry, fields, and products integrate their programming in modified and diverse lisp structures. Thus, it has inaugurated the concept of functional programming in AI and is appreciated by many programmers for software development. The faculties like air defence, list handling, tree traversal system and Artificial Intelligence products like robots, games, and touch pattern recognition as basic system. Music industry also uses Clisp to transforms and controls sounds into advanced or meta level. In comparison to Clisp, Scheme is better suited for music production as it is more conceptual and reliable. Conclusively, Common Lisp is a general purpose and AL programming language with an interactive interface. Clips programs are easy to test and are feasible to maintain. Clisp facilitates hardware portability (due to the pattern of language/codes and library functions) and also supports OS platform in execution. It also offers semantics in an apparent syntax order. Clisp entails number, symbols, structures, arrays, lists, etc. as data types. In macro system Clisp allows programmers for his type of language extension. As a major benefit of Lisp it is used in explorative nature of assignments with active semantics. In comparative to C and Ada, Clisp is well suited for under processed programs. Work Cited: Top of Form Barski, Conrad. Land of Lisp: Learn to Program in Lisp, One Game at a Time!San Francisco, Calif: No Starch Press, 2011. Print. Dybvig, R K. The Scheme Programming Language. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 2009. Print.Top of Form Ivancevic, Vladimir G, and Tijana T. Ivancevic. Computational Mind: A Complex Dynamics Perspective. Berlin: Springer, 2007. Print.Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Mitchell, John C. Concepts in Programming Languages. Cambridge Read More