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by fermienrico 2017 days ago
You don't need to be a race car driver to debunk a sales man trying to tell you "This is the best car in the world!".

My advice to you is to be humble, you're clearly passionate about Lisp and turn that into a positive thing. Saying Lisp is the best language in the world is a sweeping statement, something a snake oil salesman would put across.
1 comments
Hexstream 2017 days ago
Common Lisp really IS the best programming language in the world, though. This is a statement of fact.

We could do a better job of proving it and demonstrating it to the world, and it would be easier to do it faster with funding.

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Rochus 2016 days ago
"Lisp isn't a language, it's a building material." (Alan Kay, see e.g. http://www.paulgraham.com/quotes.html?viewfullsite=1).

I first used Lisp more than thirty years ago (back then on the VAX), but I still don't understand why it is supposed to be the "best programming language" (as some people continue to claim). It is not even obvious to me how to recognize a programming language as the "best" one. The advantage of the simple syntax is paid with several disadvantages. Praising Lisp for its simple syntax is like praising a protein for its simple structure consisting only of a chain of amino acids.

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Hexstream 2016 days ago
Simple syntax is just one of countless crucial features.

Here is just a trivial sample: https://twitter.com/HexstreamSoft/status/1334220825281654785

Fairly extensive advocacy pieces already exist, and we need even more sophisticated ones, and better infrastructure overall, and it would be much easier to do that with proper funding.

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Rochus 2016 days ago
It does not help to "prove" an assertion by making further unsubstantiated assertions.

Why is Lisp the "best programming language"? How can we recognize a programming language as the "best" one at all? Why do "we need even more sophisticated" extensive advocacy pieces? What "better infrastructure" is required for what purpose?

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Hexstream 2016 days ago
> It does not help to "prove" an assertion by making further unsubstantiated assertions.

Exactly, so stop doing that, then. Including sealioning.

> Why is Lisp the "best programming language"?

First, the best programming language is Common Lisp, not just any Lisp. Second, I already gave hints towards answering your question above, but you do have to do your homework if you want to even have a chance at understanding.

> How can we recognize a programming language as the "best" one at all?

Easily, if you understand the best programming language and see that all others are blub.

> Why do "we need even more sophisticated" extensive advocacy pieces?

Because then we can just point non-believers like you at it to automatically win all arguments.

> What "better infrastructure" is required for what purpose?

Have you even read the Common Lisp Revival 2020 Fundraiser pitch? I encourage everyone to do so, and urgently.

https://github.com/sponsors/Hexstream

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Rochus 2016 days ago
Is this in all seriousness your answer to the questions? And yes, I looked through your rather chaotic pitch.
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fermienrico 2017 days ago
I wish you all the best convincing people its the best language in the world.
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Hexstream 2016 days ago
Thank you.

I am aiming to help make Common Lisp (or a close descendant) a top 5 programming language by 2040.

I believe this is eminently achievable given proper approaches, and funding me would certainly help towards that goal.

https://twitter.com/HexstreamSoft/status/1213964177657794577

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