After years of reading Lisp articles, my take is that the macro system is what sets Lisp languages apart. I was surprised then that the author didn't find them that useful.
[Paul Graham] describes Lisp as his “secret weapon”. OK, so what’s the secret? He says “programming languages vary in power”. Fine, but what exactly makes Lisp more powerful? ...Lisp’s macro facility, which he describes as its ability to make “programs that write programs”. After four years using a Lisp language, I’d agree with Graham that macros are great when you need them. But for someone new to Lisp languages, they’re not necessarily a bread-and-butter benefit.
Further down...
Paul Graham calls Lisp a “secret weapon”. I would clarify: Lisp itself isn’t the secret weapon. Rather, you are—because a Lisp language offers you the chance to discover your potential as a programmer and a thinker, and thereby raise your expectations for what you can accomplish.
What's the secret weapon if it isn't macros? I know what I need from a language that matches my particular quirks as a programmer and helps me shine and it's not Lisp.
This article made me interested in Racket's libraries because it sounds like they might be more interesting than other languages libraries.
[Paul Graham] describes Lisp as his “secret weapon”. OK, so what’s the secret? He says “programming languages vary in power”. Fine, but what exactly makes Lisp more powerful? ...Lisp’s macro facility, which he describes as its ability to make “programs that write programs”. After four years using a Lisp language, I’d agree with Graham that macros are great when you need them. But for someone new to Lisp languages, they’re not necessarily a bread-and-butter benefit.
Further down...
Paul Graham calls Lisp a “secret weapon”. I would clarify: Lisp itself isn’t the secret weapon. Rather, you are—because a Lisp language offers you the chance to discover your potential as a programmer and a thinker, and thereby raise your expectations for what you can accomplish.
What's the secret weapon if it isn't macros? I know what I need from a language that matches my particular quirks as a programmer and helps me shine and it's not Lisp.
This article made me interested in Racket's libraries because it sounds like they might be more interesting than other languages libraries.