Lisp in a Box

Lisp in a Box is a starter edition for LISP programmers. The open source versions of Common Lisp does not have an easy to install Integrated Development Environment (IDE).

Advanced programmers are known to use and enjoy the text editor Emacs, however, for those not used to multiple shortcut keys, that can be somewhat daunting. Lisp in a Box provides a clean installation of everything needed to start programming in LISP.

LISP is one of the oldest and less-known programming languages. It has a reputation for being the most common choice in the Artificial Intelligence field. Common Lisp is a standardized dialect of LISP with several open-source and commercial implementations. However, starting to program in Common Lisp is not easy, as many implementations of the language have no IDE and need some knowledge of the language itself, and advanced configurations to install it. The text editor Emacs is usually used by experienced programmers. Emacs is simple enough to install, but using it to program in LISP is a completely different story.

So, if you heard or read about LISP and are thinking about giving it a try, this is a good start. You will be ready to try your “Hello Word” program instantly, without all the advanced configurations needed to set up an IDE for LISP using Emacs and SLIME.

For Windows, the system is modularized, meaning you can choose any combinations of three dialects of LISP to install: CLISP, Allegro LISP, or Allegro LISP trial edition. The download links for the three modules are available at the website, along with the base installer.