Subject: Re: Lisp at sexp's length
From: rpw3@rpw3.org (Rob Warnock)
Date: Sun, 14 Dec 2003 06:23:00 -0600
Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
Message-ID: <kRGdnU_5uK65y0GiXTWc-g@speakeasy.net>
Greg Menke  <gregm-news@toadmail.com> wrote:
+---------------
| larrye2000@hotmail.com (larry) writes:
| > The thing to do is to harp on the fact that lisp is cool, it's hot,
| > it's the latest up and coming thing. That will stop people from
| > whining about parenthesis.
| 
| I think the reason html is so readily learned is the instant
| gratification of putting up your own webpage.  Since learning sexps
| won't let you do the same so quickly, it doesn't seem so "cool".
+---------------

Uh... Excuse me? Look at any of the many fine sexpr-to-HTML packages
mentioned on <URL:http://www.cliki.net/Web> [such as Tim Bradshaw's
HTOUT or Edi Weitz's CL-WHO, to name just two]. IMHO, you can put up
simple pages *much* easier with sexprs than with raw HTML, e.g.,
<URL:http://rpw3.org/hacks/lisp/minimal.lhp>:

	;;; Simplified [but still working] version of the above.
	(lhp-basic-page ()
	  (:html ()
	    (:head ()
	      (:title () "Simple Test Page"))
	    (:body ()
	      (:h1 () "Simple Test Page")
	      "This is a simple test page with not much on it.")))

The advantage only gets greater when the pages are interactive and/or
more complex, e.g., <URL:http://rpw3.org/hacks/lisp/appsrv-demo.lhp>
(which still isn't very complex, but...)


-Rob

-----
Rob Warnock			<rpw3@rpw3.org>
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