From ...
Path: archiver1.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news.tele.dk!134.222.94.5!npeer.kpnqwest.net!nreader1.kpnqwest.net.POSTED!not-for-mail
Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
Subject: Re: when are macros useful?
References: <3B3EB873.22656A95@worldnet.att.net>
Mail-Copies-To: never
From: Erik Naggum <erik@naggum.net>
Message-ID: <3202966596699145@naggum.net>
Organization: Naggum Software, Oslo, Norway
Lines: 14
User-Agent: Gnus/5.0808 (Gnus v5.8.8) Emacs/20.7
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Date: Sun, 01 Jul 2001 08:56:38 GMT
X-Complaints-To: newsmaster@Norway.EU.net
X-Trace: nreader1.kpnqwest.net 993977798 193.71.66.150 (Sun, 01 Jul 2001 10:56:38 MET DST)
NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 01 Jul 2001 10:56:38 MET DST
Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.lisp:12538

* Ted Sandler <tedsandler@worldnet.att.net>
> Hi, I've read that lisp macros enable one to do things "undoable" in
> most other languages.  I was wondering what some examples of these
> undoable things are, and how they would be implemented using macros.

  Macros can change the syntax of the language or implement a sub-language,
  both of which are translated into the regular language before compilation
  and/or evaluation.  This is due to the lack of structure to Lisp forms,
  the flexibility in evaluation rules, and the uniformity of representation
  of language elements.

#:Erik
-- 
  Travel is a meat thing.