MCL to C conversion?

[Steve Strassmann <straz@cambridge.apple.com>]

>From: ckrug@chem.ucsd.edu (Christopher Krug)
>Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp.mcl
>Subject: MCL to C conversion?
>Date: 18 Sep 92 17:46:50 GMT
>Organization: University of California San Diego, Chemistry

>
>I've seen in comp.lang.scheme that there are Scheme to C converters.
>I am working on a project where the speed of development is crucial
>and so is the speed of execution.  Is there such a beast for Lisp to
>C conversion?  Because Scheme is a flavor of lisp, it doesn't sound
>that far fetched.
>Any information would be greatly appreciated!
>Respond by email (ckrug@ucsd.edu) or by follow up article.
>
>Thanks.

Check out the lisp-faq (frequently asked questions) list available
by anonymous ftp from think.com. Part 4 lists several Common Lisp to
C translators, including KCL (free), and a commercial product:

   Lisp-to-C Translator translates Common Lisp into C. It costs $12,000.
   Write to: Chestnut Software, Inc., 636 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02215,
   call (617) 262-0914, or fax (617) 536-6469.

It's important to stress that translating your whole application to C 
may not be your best strategy. Since the speed-critical portion of your
application is almost always just a small portion of it, you should
think in terms of identifying and speeding up just those portions, without
sacrificing the flexibility and power of using MCL. This way, you get
the best of both worlds.

Check out optimization-techniques.sit.hqx at our anonymous ftp site
(cambridge.apple.com:/pub/MCL2/contrib). You can use compiler declarations
and in some cases rewriting to increase your lisp code's efficiency.
Also, you can always hand-code the critical parts in assembly language 
(using MCL's LAP) or use MPW (C, Pascal, Fortran, etc.) and link in just 
the parts you need.