Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!MathWorks.Com!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!dircon!rheged!simon
From: simon@rheged.dircon.co.uk (Simon Brooke)
Subject: Re: Why do people like C? (Was: Comparison: Beta - Lisp)
In-Reply-To: hutch@RedRock.com's message of 11 Oct 1994 15:31:28 GMT
Message-ID: <CxMpD2.525@rheged.dircon.co.uk>
Organization: none. Disorganization: total.
References: <LYNBECH.94Sep15223604@xenon.daimi.aau.dk> <os2Psc1w165w@sytex.com> <35dcf9$jao@news.aero.org> <35kbl8$8ni@relay.tor.hookup.net> <780075970snz@wildcard.demon.co.uk> <36p6hf$6gd@relay.tor.hookup.net> <781539380snz@wildcard.demon.co.uk> <37eb4h$k4f@vertex.tor.hookup.net>
Date: Thu, 13 Oct 1994 20:39:01 GMT
Lines: 33

In article <37eb4h$k4f@vertex.tor.hookup.net> hutch@RedRock.com (Bob Hutchison) writes:


   In <781539380snz@wildcard.demon.co.uk>, cyber_surfer@wildcard.demon.co.uk (Cyber Surfer) writes:
   >In article <36p6hf$6gd@relay.tor.hookup.net>
   >           hutch@RedRock.com "Bob Hutchison" writes:
   Well, I'm happy to say that for a number of years now the companies
   I've dealt with all understood very well that programmer's time was
   both valuable and limited.  Unfortunately they often didn't know what
                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   to do to increase the productivity of the programmer.  This, however,
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   doesn't mean that these companies view programmer time as anything
   other than a resource to be managed.

Some time ago (about 1988, I think?) I remember that I used to quote
to everybody a study done by the US DoD into programmer productivity.
In this study, expert programmers in a number of different languages
(including Ada, LisP and ProLog, but I think several others) were
asked to code identical specifications in their preferred languages.
LisP came out first by a long lead. However (1) I've long since lost
the reference (anybody know it?); (2) This was just about the time
when X3J13 were driving their nails into the coffin of LisP, so modern
LisP programmers (if forced to use the aluminium book) would probably
be slower; (3) I doubt whether C++ would have been considered at the
time (too new).

Study might be worth doing again, if anybody can raise the funding.

-- 
simon@rheged.dircon.co.uk

			-- mens vacua in medio vacuo --
