Re: Lisp considered unfinished

[ddyer@netcom.com (Dave Dyer)]

I have to agree with Dave Yost; In many respects, modern C/C++/Visual
Basic development environments rival or exceed the best lisp has to
offer.  The underlying language is still crap, but the gloss on top of
it demos really well; and truthfully, goes a long way toward improving
productivity.

Despite many millions that went into Symbolics, LMI, TI and Xerox
(both directly and to their customers) there is not *ONE* really well
known "lisp" success story to point to; and on the flip side,
everybody knows how much was invested in those companies, and where
they are now.

The remaining lisp vendors are locked into survival mode, and don't have
the resources or inclination to undertake anything revolutionary.  The
supply of new blood from the universities is thin - all the up-and-coming
wizards are into networks and multimedia.  

In short, lisp is well on its way back to where it always was; as an
amusing backwater of the computer industry; of interest only to a few
academics trying to do things that are completely impractical anyway.

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