Subject: Re: MD5 in LISP and abstraction inversions
From: Erik Naggum <erik@naggum.net>
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2001 17:08:50 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
Message-ID: <3214573728375953@naggum.net>

* Will Deakin
| Uhhh?  If C is so portable, why is there configure, automake, autoconf
| and/or makemake and xmake and the whole smeary mess of bodging make files
| to work on different platforms?

  But those tools are precisely what makes C portable.  Ironic, eh?

  No responsible Open Source programmer fails to take these tools into
  account when programming.  Writing fully portable code using these tools
  is considered the mark of a conscientious, caring, professional C author.
  It takes great effort, but in the end, it is worth it because the whole
  Open Source world has actually learned to cope with its portability
  issues.  In the Common Lisp world, however, at least one Open Source
  author thinks conscientiousness, caring, and professionality is a waste
  of his presumably exceptionally precious time.  I find this very sad, but
  more, an insult to the community.  Caring about one's own values is good,
  but when it means not caring about those of others, it becomes bad, and
  one has to wonder what the purpose of "sharing" code really is.

///
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