Heh, didn’t realize you were the same poster that posted the Special Forms thread.
The book I mentioned in the Special Forms thread makes a lot of use of property lists. Examples include probabilities in an inference network, location of features inside rooms in a program for a household robot, inheritance relationships (as in OO methodology), and various others.
One of the main differences I see in this book (as well as most old Lisp code I find) is that it’s programmed very differently that modern Lisp programs. There’s much more reliance on symbolic manipulation, which is probably why the ability to assign properties to symbols originally arose. A symbol might represent a particular thing or concept instead of just being a variable name. It’s a very different way of thinking about programming.
I really need to pick this book back up. I started working through it on a business trip a few years ago and then lost it in the move, then found it again just the other day.
I bought this book used off Abe Books. I just checked there again and they’ve got a couple copies of it for less than $10 in good or very good condition and free shipping to the US (if that’s where you’re at). The “very good” version was published in 1990 - I have no idea if it’s any different than the 1987 version I have. ISBN 10: 0716782308 and ISBN 10: 0716780283.
Heh, didn’t realize you were the same poster that posted the Special Forms thread.
The book I mentioned in the Special Forms thread makes a lot of use of property lists. Examples include probabilities in an inference network, location of features inside rooms in a program for a household robot, inheritance relationships (as in OO methodology), and various others.
One of the main differences I see in this book (as well as most old Lisp code I find) is that it’s programmed very differently that modern Lisp programs. There’s much more reliance on symbolic manipulation, which is probably why the ability to assign properties to symbols originally arose. A symbol might represent a particular thing or concept instead of just being a variable name. It’s a very different way of thinking about programming.
I really need to pick this book back up. I started working through it on a business trip a few years ago and then lost it in the move, then found it again just the other day.
It seems interesting, thanks for the heads up. I’m focusing on Interlisp, so this is the kind of early programming I’m after.
Oh, nice! Sounds like a fun area of study.
I bought this book used off Abe Books. I just checked there again and they’ve got a couple copies of it for less than $10 in good or very good condition and free shipping to the US (if that’s where you’re at). The “very good” version was published in 1990 - I have no idea if it’s any different than the 1987 version I have. ISBN 10: 0716782308 and ISBN 10: 0716780283.
Edit: typo
I see the books is also available at the Open Library.
Oh wow, looks like there’s a version for Common Lisp as well!
That should be interesting. The Lisp in my copy of the book uses FEXPRs and doesn’t have strings.