[gumby]

> It appears that the C++ folks have spent the last 15 (20?) years re-implementing Lisp macros badly.

Maybe it will make you and jlarocco happier to know that Stroustrup feels your pain.

Years ago at a standards meeting (well, having drinks, not during the meeting itself) he and I were talking about C++ and Lisp and I said how much I missed defmacro. He became quite animated that #define had "polluted the ecological niche" and that templating "was the best we could do to bring macros to C++".

C++ is/was hobbled by its C back compatibility (lucky eventually they became brave enough to snap that link). In retrospect I still think it was a good idea for the sake of growing the C++ user base, but it has had some dreadful implications.

The syntax is horrible but it is still one of the most expressive languages I have used. And much as I look back fondly to my years as a Lispm hacker, I have to say, times move on.