Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
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From: hall@aplcenmp.apl.jhu.edu (Marty Hall)
Subject: Re: Lisp vs Java vs C++ vs...
Message-ID: <DssE9L.854@aplcenmp.apl.jhu.edu>
Organization: JHU/APL Research Center, Hopkins P/T CS Faculty
References: <4pg6id$c90@betty.bway.net>
Date: Mon, 10 Jun 1996 13:46:32 GMT
Lines: 42

In article <4pg6id$c90@betty.bway.net> Kenny Tilton <tilt@qi-labs.com> writes:

>                           Java C++ Smalltalk Lisp Dylan
[...]
>RTTI                         ?   x      x      x     x

I would think that "instanceof" in Java gives you this.

>Function overloading         x   x      x     (5)   
[...]
>5. Though different in some respects, &key, &optional and &rest args offer at 
>least as much expressive power as function overloading.

Besides, from the user's perspective generic functions and regular
functions are the same. I can do

(defmethod Square ((N number)) (* N N))
(defmethod Square ((S string)) (concatenate 'string S S))

This sure seems like overloading to the C++/Java programmer.


I'm always a bit dubious about what these comparisons show, anyhow
(and Ken wasn't claiming it proved anything), since the items you
choose to list reflect your biases. The Java advocates would list
"builtin support for multi threading", "standard interface to C",
"portable graphics library" and (especially :-) "ability to be run in
WWW pages" to *their* list. Paul Graham commented insightfully in _On
Lisp_ that what you consider important in a language is partly a
reflection of what you are used to. You don't know to want a certain
item until you've used it and seen its power. Of course this cuts both
ways: I'd like a builtin portable graphics library in Lisp, a standard
interface to C, and standard support for multithreading. In Java, I would
really, really, like first class functions and multiple
inheritance. Macros are too much to ever hope for. 

Cheers-
					- Marty
(proclaim '(inline skates))

Lisp: <http://www.apl.jhu.edu/~hall/lisp.html>
Java: <http://www.apl.jhu.edu/~hall/java>
