[racket-dev] using Racket to build an image-based Lisp: feasible?

From: Matthias Felleisen (matthias at ccs.neu.edu)
Date: Mon Mar 4 22:48:37 EST 2013

On Mar 4, 2013, at 10:35 AM, mikel evins wrote:

> Besides the practical reasons I already gave, I also think that there's been a gradual trend away from image-based development over the last twenty years, and I think it's regrettable. I'm not saying it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, or that it's a cure for cancer; I just think it has some useful and pleasant things to bring to software development, and it's so rare these days that those things are in danger of being lost. There is a generation of younger Lisp programmers who don't know what image-based development is, and that seems a shame.

In my younger days, I programmed in Prologs and in Schemes, including Chez, that saved heaps and took off where you left off. I know old Lispers and Smalltalkers (some are younger than me) are still in love with this world view but I will admit that I never regretted having left this part of Lisp behind. 

What specifically do you think is the allure? 

Would your Lisp work as a #lang language? 

-- Matthias, guilty of pushing Matthew in the opposite direction 

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