CMU Common Lisp
CMU Common Lisp is an open source implementation of the Common Lisp programming language developed at Carnegie Mellon University. It features an optimizing native code compiler, a foreign function interface, and tools for generating documentation.
common-lisp
lisp
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CMU Common Lisp: Open Source Implementation of Common Lisp
CMU Common Lisp is an open source implementation of the Common Lisp programming language developed at Carnegie Mellon University. It features an optimizing native code compiler, a foreign function interface, and tools for generating documentation.
What is CMU Common Lisp?
CMU Common Lisp (also known as CMUCL) is a free, open-source implementation of the Common Lisp programming language. It was originally developed at Carnegie Mellon University starting in the 1980s.
Some key features of CMUCL include:
- An advanced native code compiler that generates highly optimized machine code
- A foreign function interface for interoperating with C code
- A sophisticated garbage collector
- Tools for generating reference documentation from docstrings
- Support for multiple platforms like Linux, macOS, and Windows
- Threading and multiprocessing capabilities
- A debugging and profiling environment
CMUCL is known for its performance and conformance to the ANSI Common Lisp standard. The compiler's optimizations and the runtime system allow Common Lisp code to execute very efficiently. This makes CMUCL well-suited for demanding numerical and scientific computing tasks.
While not always as easy to install as some other implementations, CMUCL provides industrial strength capabilities for developing large-scale, high performance Lisp applications. Its licensing allows it to be used freely even in proprietary commercial products.
CMU Common Lisp Features
Features
- Native code compiler
- Foreign function interface
- Documentation generation tools
- Garbage collection
- Object-oriented programming support
- Macro system
- Debugging and profiling tools
Pricing
- Open Source
Pros
High performance
Mature and stable
Good documentation
Active community support
Free and open source
Cons
Not as widely used as some other Lisps
Less libraries/packages than more popular Lisps
Older codebase
Limited platform support
Official Links
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