Common Lisp
Common Lisp is a multi-paradigm programming language in the Lisp language family. It is available in a variety of implementations (see Common Lisp implementation) that provide deployment options on platforms ranging from embedded systems to supercomputer clusters. Because Common Lisp provides the possibility for high-performance and dynamic code, it is used both for system programming, application programming, and as a scripting language.

Common Lisp is standardized by ANSI as ANSI INCITS 226-1994 (R2004), formerly known as X3.226-1994 (R1999), and sometimes refered to as X3J13, the name of the ANSI standardization committee. A hypertext version of the Common Lisp standard was made available by Kent Pitman as the CLHS.

Common Lisp Features

  • interactivity (dynamic redefinitions)
  • first-class symbols
  • arbitrary-precision integers
  • exact rational arithmetic
  • well-integrated complex numbers
  • generalized references
  • multiple values
  • first-class functions
  • anonymous functions
  • macros
  • multiple inheritance
  • multiple dispatch
  • generic functions
  • method combination
  • (first-class) classes and meta classes
  • (first-class) packages
  • built-in programmable parser (read)
  • built-in programmable unparser
  • reader macros
  • compiler macros
  • optional argument
  • keyword arguments
  • meta-object protocol
  • special (dynamically scoped) variables
  • named blocks, nonlocal goto (catch/throw)
  • conditions, restarts
  • the loop macro
  • the format function
  • type declarations
  • compiler available at run-time
  • extensive list processing features.