Lyngbakr

I can't say that I "learned Lisp" this year, but I took my first tentative steps in Lisp. It has been eye opening for sure and I'm excited to learn more.

Perhaps (2020) in the title?

I ended up at Alibris. CAD$45 + CAD$15 shipping for 'very good' condition.

What's deterring me from pulling the trigger on the Scheme version is the price. CAD$87 seems a bit steep for a paperback edition that's almost 30 years old. The JavaScript version is CAD$20 cheaper.

Hive is fantastic fun. I found it easy to learn, but that there was some strategic depth that really gave it replay value. An interesting aspect is that there isn't a board as such, rather the pieces together constitute the playing area which morphs as the game unfolds. It's a great on-the-go game since the pieces are tough and it's a convenient size to be chucked in a bag for the beach, train journeys, etc.

Not my words, Michael. The words of Shakin' Stevens.

I think it would be great to include a short, simple example on the landing page — perhaps after the introduction but before the build instructions. That's the sort of thing that piques my interest and makes me dig deeper.

I'm curious how Copilot and ChatGPT affect learning. Do they help people develop a good understanding of coding by getting them moving quickly and teaching them good practices? Or do they just let folks patch together chunks of code that work as a whole although they don't really understand why? Or perhaps the reality is somewhere in between?

That was a nice, clear explanation that even I could understand. One thing I wasn't sure about, though.

  var arr = [_]u32{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 }; // 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
  const slice1 = arr[1..5];             //    2, 3, 4, 5
  const slice2 = slice1[1..3];

If I were to use indices out of range, presumably that would that give me a compile time error? Could I use variables as the indices and, if so, could I get a seg fault at runtime or are there some sort of guards on there?

I read a comment on HN the other day by someone reviewing the book and I believe they said it was Brian Kernigan.

> How does someone who has never built a SPA before, let alone ever build a web application in Clojure/S suppose to get started?

I think that Clojure for the Brave and True[0] is a good place to start for Clojure in general, while Web Development with Clojure: Build Large, Maintainable Web Applications Interactively[1] covers the web app side of things.

[0] https://www.braveclojure.com/

[1] https://pragprog.com/titles/dswdcloj3/web-development-with-c...

Does Janet have something like Clojure's threading (->, ->>)?

That is exactly the clarification I needed. Thanks!

So, the REPL mentioned in the article differs from, say, the Julia REPL[0]? Is it simply using the same term for slightly different things?

[0] https://docs.julialang.org/en/v1/stdlib/REPL/

But the previous post argues that the article is about "lisp features that still make it unique".

Perhaps I've misunderstood, but several languages have REPLs so that isn't unique to Lisps, is it?

Can someone provide a CliffsNotes version of what the "whole saga" is?

But presumably there is also more competition for jobs using popular technologies?

Perhaps the more important metric is supply of devs relative to demand. The top paying languages, according to the Stack Overflow's 2022 survey, are generally less popular: Clojure, Erlang, F#, LISP are the top 4. While certainly not an ideal metric (e.g., perhaps salaries are skewed due to more senior devs using these languages), this hints that the demand is certainly there relative to supply as companies are willing to pony up some decent cash for these devs.

I've read a few Murakami books, but always find myself underwhelmed. Every few years I try again — everyone else loves his books, so clearly I'm missing something — but I'm yet to find one that I really enjoy. (I have the same problem with Rushdie, so perhaps I just don't get critically acclaimed literature?)

Besides Kafka on the Shore, The Wind Up Bird Chronicles, and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, which of his books would be the best way to get into Haruki Murakami?

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If they stop working on it, I imagine that you're SOL.

I really like the idea of bonsai languages, too. Rather than growing across various dimensions as new features are demanded, they stay small, concise, and focused just getting tighter, neater, and more performant. Of course, this isn't always practical nor desirable. I'm not sure if there are many bonsai languages, though. Perhaps something like awk?

Perhaps they're not referring to a governance failure as such, but rather contrasting a not-for-profit, community-led organisation with a publically-traded, for-profit business? <shrug>

I'm really curious what a new language would need to have to start stealing users from Python in the data domain. I was also a bit surprised that Julia didn't get more traction, as I felt it was a more enjoyable experience, but obviously it doesn't have the extensive community and ecosystem that Python has so it was fighting an uphill battle from the start. Interop with Python (like R's reticulate) would be helpful when targeting Python users, so they could still draw in their favourite packages, but Julia has that already.

In my new/current role, I primarily use Python but would prefer not to; however, it's a tough case to make against Python when it's become the default data language (along with SQL).

Babashka[0] is also a nice option for scripting, if you're a Clojure/Lisp fan.

[0] https://babashka.org/

>...you have to choose your definition of success and failure

I think this is wonderful advice. Perhaps in the same vein as existentialists arguing that you get to define the meaning of your life, I like this sentiment that you get to choose whether you've succeeded or not.

Agreed. Coincidentally, I resigned the day before this was announced.

I think one reason for Python growing popularity is because it's become the default tool in some domains whether it is the best tool or not.

This week our Director ordered a total rewrite of two years of work in Python. His rationale: it's what everyone else uses in this space. No reason specific to our use case, just simply to follow the herd. I realise that a large community translates into easy hiring and rich ecosystems, but I despise the mentality as it promotes a monoculture.

I love Emacs & it's my go-to editor, but I struggle to offer a solid, logical reason why.

I only use a handful of packages, a smidge of Org mode, minimal customisation, & run Emacs in the terminal, so switching to something more modern should surely give me everything I need & many more features in spades. But nothing else scratches the itch despite my best efforts to move to something else.

Perhaps for me Emacs is like an old pair of slippers: comfy, familiar, does what I need it to without fuss. I can't say whether it's a good choice for anyone else, but this grey beard engineer likes it.

I really like Org Mode, but I only need a tiny amount of its functionality. Emacs is my editor of choice anyway, so it's convenient to use Org Mode for my personal daily to-do list and backlog. And not even for a specific workflow system (e.g., GTD or whatever), just tasks with scheduled dates, deadlines, and some custom states. Agenda view is neat, too. That's plenty for me. It always impresses me though when I see how much others can do with it!

I totally agree with this, but my love of Lisps wasn't instantaneous. When it clicked though — which required some effort — and I could appreciate the elegance of the language, I didn't want to use anything else.

Regarding Python, I've always disliked its functional whitespace and OO inclination. Given its popularity, though, I'm clearly a minority!

TL;DR — to each their own.