Re: lisp machines vs. lisp on other boxes

[spar!malcolm@decwrl.dec.com]

	From: Richard Billington <Buff@cis.upenn.edu>
	Subject: lisp machines vs. lisp on other boxes
	To: slug@r20.utexas.edu

	[Lots of comments about Lisp Environments......]

	Similarly, I'm also amused by people saying that, for example, a SUN
	running Lucid is better matched to a beginner. 
On the other hand it is not possible for a beginner on a conventional machine
(nonlispm) to get dumped into the cold load stream.
	
	I have a hard time believing that a standard architecture machine will 
	be able to simultaneously provide the speed and environment that a lisp
	machine does. 
This is precisely the RISC vs CISC issue.  Personally I would very much like
to see the good parts of the Symbolics programming environment running on
something like Sun's new RISC chip.  

And finally, just so this note isn't content free.......does anybody have
information on Symbolics new CPU chip?  This weeks EE Times mentions a 
Symbolics 40 bit chip that "contains a complete Common Lisp" and runs
five times faster than current Symbolics machines.  They also mention that
the chip might be available as a "PC add-on board."

Trying to keep religion out of this discussion......

								Malcolm