30 Mar
2023
30 Mar
'23
10:34 a.m.
Here is a hello world:
(format t "Hello, World!")
It kinda works, need to throw maybe a \n on it, no idea what options format
takes.
It kicks you to the debugger pretty quick, where you get to find out you
need to go read the usim documentation on key mappings, unless you have a
knight or space cadet keyboard laying around and properly mapped, lol.
Good times, it is definitely very different and weird.
-Eric
On Thu, Mar 30, 2023 at 12:27 PM jim stephens via cctalk <
cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
This is great to see. One note, you'll need to
install libx11-dev (on
Ubuntu 22 anyway)
then build it. Now to figure out how to play with it.
thanks
Jim
On 3/30/23 10:53, Eric Moore via cctalk wrote:
Originating in 1960, Lisp is second only to
Fortran as the oldest
programming language still in use today. Historically used for research,
artificial intelligence, and mathematics, Lisp remains relevant in these
fields, as well as in quantum computing research and other cutting-edge
applications.
In the mid-1970s, researchers sought high-performance, single-user,
interactive machines due to the constraints of running their code on
large
multi-user mainframes. Such machines would allow
for more efficient and
flexible research and development. Richard Greenblatt at the MIT AI Lab
spearheaded the development of the first dedicated Lisp machines,
including
the successful CONS machine and later CADR
machines.
MACSYMA, a symbolic mathematics program written in Lisp which consumed
significant resources on the PDP-10 running ITS, was a key motivator for
the Lisp Machine's creation.
LispM hackers in residence, including Daniel Weinreb (DLW), David Moon
(MOON), Richard Stallman (RMS), John L. Kulp (JLK), Mike McMahon (MMcM),
and others, were responsible for the overall system development. Kulp
designed the legendary Space Cadet keyboard, known for its unique key
arrangements and symbols, and Moon and Weinreb wrote the first and second
Lisp Machine editors (EINE, ZWEI) respectively.
Brad Parker developed the first working CADR simulator (usim), which
emulates the MIT CADR, and with the Lisp Machine microcode running on
top,
allows users to explore the historic system and
its unique features.
Until recently, only up until system 78 of the LISP operating system and
microcode from MIT could be emulated. Alfred M. Szmidt (AMS) received
copies of backup tapes containing systems 98 and 99, dating from 1983 and
1984, respectively, and was able to get them running after a decade of
effort. The bootstrap process was an impressive hack, due to the Lisp
Machine's use of network booting and a mixture of compiled and uncompiled
code. Szmidt has now iterated the distribution to system 100 with all of
his fixes included.
This marks the first time in 35 years that anyone can use this
environment,
designed to support AI and computational research
at the cutting edge.
The
windowing and graphical feel of the environment
stand out, and the Lisp
machine and CADR processor allow users to dive deep into the operating
system's inner workings. The line between compiled and source code is
thin,
and users can open and read almost everything.
The CADR machine served as the foundation for commercial products sold by
LISP Machines, Inc., founded by Richard Greenblatt, and Symbolics,
founded
by MIT AI Lab ex-administrator Russell Noftsker.
The emulator provides a
glimpse into the height of 80s MIT hacker culture by booting to MIT
System
100.
Find more information and try the system out yourself via AMS's
announcement post:
https://tumbleweed.nu/r/bug-lispm/forumpost/7475d8a3db
Or visit https://tumbleweed.nu/lm-3
-Eric