Subject: Re: Is ``Lisp'' such a bad word?
From: Erik Naggum <erik@naggum.no>
Date: 1998/11/30
Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
Message-ID: <3121448755515195@naggum.no>

* amoroso@mclink.it (Paolo Amoroso)
| Do ads by other Lisp vendors mention the language?  Is "Lisp" such a bad
| word?  Is its reputation so compromised?  I know that Lisp can do great
| things even without mass acceptance or public recognition, and I'm
| perfectly happy with it myself.  I ask that questions because I'm
| interested in learning something more about its recent history (I read
| "Patterns of Software" and part of what's available online, including
| "The Evolution of Lisp").

  sometimes, people need to be made aware of what they fear actually is
  before you can tell them not to fear.  in my view, formed after talking
  to lots and lots of people about Lisp, people _fear_ lisp, as much as
  they _fear_ Unix.  the fear is not of the language or operating system,
  but of being inferior, etc.  by telling people "you, too, can use Common
  Lisp!" through showing them, they might change their minds.  I'm only
  worried about people who don't know what they're doing doing it in Lisp,
  as that will instill "fear or losing control" in the minds of managers
  who believe they know how to control the damage C++ does.

  a friend sent me the following URL the other day.  I found the article
  fascinating.

<URL:http://www.performancecomputing.com/features/9809of1.shtml>

#:Erik
-- 
  The Microsoft Dating Program -- where do you want to crash tonight?