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The Lisp Machine manual

The Lisp Machine manual THE LISP MACHINE M A N U A L by Daniel Weinreb and David Moon Fourth Edition, June, 1981 This 471-page, softcover manual describes the programming language and software environment of the Lisp Machine developed at M.I.T.'s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory over the past 8 years. The Lisp Machine is the result of a successful experiment in computer science: a distributed computing system consisting of a network of powerful 32-bit personal computers, implemented with custom hardware and software as complete, interactive graphical workstations. Each machine consists of a 32-bit computer with 64 megabytes of virtual memory, 1 to 16 megabytes of main memory, 80 megabytes (or larger) disk, 800x900 graphics display (color optional), mouse, keyboard, speaker and 4 million bit/second local network interface, which allows connections to other Lisp Machines, primers and file servers. Since no other commercially available hardware is suitable to support the large and sophisticated software developed for this workstation, a custom-designed 32-bit minicomputer is used as the hardware base. Due to this microcoded hardware, the Lisp Machine software environment can incorporate many features which would degrade performance to an unacceptable level on more classical architectures. Some of these features perform run-time checking (even in compiled code) for references to uninitialized variable and out-ofbounds array indices, while others allow subroutines to be dynamically and incrementally redefined, compiled and loaded without destroying the run-time environment. Because of their effectiveness in isolating and repairing errors, these features improve the productivity of the software development process. The Lisp Machine software is highly developed, with 9400 function (237 of them micro-coded) and 30,000 symbols; the 1.3 million bytes of compiled code and 5 million bytes of data in the basic system are the result of many man-years of effort at M.I.T. This software is written entirely in a modern and flexible dialect of Lisp, and includes an advanced window system, powerful tools for interactive text and program editing, a powerful electronic mail reading and filing system, and many other facilities. The Lisp Machine Manual is'the language reference manual for the Lisp Machine dialect of Lisp. It features extensive explanation of the unique features of the language, as well as detailed documentation of the functions, special forms and macros in the basic system. The manual also documents system facilities such as storage management, input and output, multiple processes, multiple name spaces, automatic system generation and patching tools, and some of the user interface facilities. Separate documentation will be available for the window system and for major applications programs. Table of Contents: Introduction; Primitive Object-Types; Evaluation; Flow of Control; Manipulating List Structure: Symbols; Numbers; Arrays; Strings; Functions; Closures; Stack Groups; Locatives; Subprimitives; Areas; The Compiler; Macros; The LOOP Iteration Macro; Defstruct; Objects, Message Passing and Flavors: The I/O System; Naming of Files; Packages; Maintaining Large Systems~ Processes; Errors and Debugging; How to Read Assembly Language; Querying the User; Initializations; Dates and Times; Miscellaneous Useful Functions; Concept Index; Flavor Index; Message Index; Meter Index; Variable Index; Function Index. The Lisp Machine Manual is printed under license from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1981, paperbound, 471 pages, Symbolics order number LMM-4, $2O.OO. iiiillii#iliiiiliiiii#1illiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii :~:: :: ~:::::::.-: ::::~:~:::::::~ :: :: :i:~:$: ~: i:~:: i:~:.';3:5~.'~:: : :~:::::::;::::'.'::::5:::::::::::::::':::':':':':': :z:~.::::::: ::::: z..:~: ::::::: ~.:: .~:: :::: HANDBOOK OF A R T I F I C I A L INTELLIGENCE The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence, Volume One, edited by Avron Barr and Edward Feigenbaum. 424 pages. ISBN 0-86576-005-5. $30.00 (cloth). (Volumes Two and Three will be published in the Fall, 1981 and Winter, 1982, respectively.) What is a "heuristic problem-solving program?" How do computers understand English? What are "semantic nets" or "frames?" Can computer programs outperform human experts? Such questions -asked by scientists, engineers, students, and hobbyists encountering artificial intelligence for the first time -- can now be readily answered by The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence, a work which makes the full scope and the important techniques and concepts of artificial intelligence available for the first time to the rapidly expanding world of computer technologists and users. Professor Feigenbaum, Chairman of Stanford University's .Computer Science Department, explains that artificial intelligence makes available the power of the computer to the rest of the world: "Most of the world's work is not characterized by a mathematical or statistical core, nor is it business data processing. Most of the professional work is inferential problem-solving -- symbolic problem solving combining facts with expertise. That is the bread and butter of what doctors do, and what scientists and engineers do. In fact, only the physical science and engineering have been able fully to exploit computers, for they are based on mathematics. The other professionals have hardly been able to tap computer use. Our work at Stanford is the entry by which other professions are going to be able to use the inexpensive power of computers." The scope of The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence is broad. The three-volume work will eventually encompass over two hundred short articles covering all of the important ideas, techniques, and systems developed during twenty-five years of research in the artificial intelligence field. The articles are written for people with no background knowledge in artificial intelligence. Some articles serve as overviews, discussing the various approaches within a subfield., the issues, and the problems. The Handbook is a reference work, a textbook, a guide to programming techniques and to the extensive literature of the field, and a book for intellectual browsing. Jargon has been eliminated in each of the short, penetrating articles, and the hierarchical organization of the book allows readers to choose how deeply they wish to delve into a particular subject. Conceived and developed at Stanford University's Department of Computer Science, with contributions from universities and laboratories across the nation, The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence promises to become the standard reference work in the rapidly growing artificial intelligence field. lO http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png ACM SIGART Bulletin Association for Computing Machinery

The Lisp Machine manual

ACM SIGART Bulletin , Volume (78) – Oct 1, 1981

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Publisher
Association for Computing Machinery
Copyright
Copyright © 1981 by ACM Inc.
ISSN
0163-5719
DOI
10.1145/1056737.1056738
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

THE LISP MACHINE M A N U A L by Daniel Weinreb and David Moon Fourth Edition, June, 1981 This 471-page, softcover manual describes the programming language and software environment of the Lisp Machine developed at M.I.T.'s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory over the past 8 years. The Lisp Machine is the result of a successful experiment in computer science: a distributed computing system consisting of a network of powerful 32-bit personal computers, implemented with custom hardware and software as complete, interactive graphical workstations. Each machine consists of a 32-bit computer with 64 megabytes of virtual memory, 1 to 16 megabytes of main memory, 80 megabytes (or larger) disk, 800x900 graphics display (color optional), mouse, keyboard, speaker and 4 million bit/second local network interface, which allows connections to other Lisp Machines, primers and file servers. Since no other commercially available hardware is suitable to support the large and sophisticated software developed for this workstation, a custom-designed 32-bit minicomputer is used as the hardware base. Due to this microcoded hardware, the Lisp Machine software environment can incorporate many features which would degrade performance to an unacceptable level on more classical architectures. Some of these features perform run-time checking (even in compiled code) for references to uninitialized variable and out-ofbounds array indices, while others allow subroutines to be dynamically and incrementally redefined, compiled and loaded without destroying the run-time environment. Because of their effectiveness in isolating and repairing errors, these features improve the productivity of the software development process. The Lisp Machine software is highly developed, with 9400 function (237 of them micro-coded) and 30,000 symbols; the 1.3 million bytes of compiled code and 5 million bytes of data in the basic system are the result of many man-years of effort at M.I.T. This software is written entirely in a modern and flexible dialect of Lisp, and includes an advanced window system, powerful tools for interactive text and program editing, a powerful electronic mail reading and filing system, and many other facilities. The Lisp Machine Manual is'the language reference manual for the Lisp Machine dialect of Lisp. It features extensive explanation of the unique features of the language, as well as detailed documentation of the functions, special forms and macros in the basic system. The manual also documents system facilities such as storage management, input and output, multiple processes, multiple name spaces, automatic system generation and patching tools, and some of the user interface facilities. Separate documentation will be available for the window system and for major applications programs. Table of Contents: Introduction; Primitive Object-Types; Evaluation; Flow of Control; Manipulating List Structure: Symbols; Numbers; Arrays; Strings; Functions; Closures; Stack Groups; Locatives; Subprimitives; Areas; The Compiler; Macros; The LOOP Iteration Macro; Defstruct; Objects, Message Passing and Flavors: The I/O System; Naming of Files; Packages; Maintaining Large Systems~ Processes; Errors and Debugging; How to Read Assembly Language; Querying the User; Initializations; Dates and Times; Miscellaneous Useful Functions; Concept Index; Flavor Index; Message Index; Meter Index; Variable Index; Function Index. The Lisp Machine Manual is printed under license from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1981, paperbound, 471 pages, Symbolics order number LMM-4, $2O.OO. iiiillii#iliiiiliiiii#1illiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii :~:: :: ~:::::::.-: ::::~:~:::::::~ :: :: :i:~:$: ~: i:~:: i:~:.';3:5~.'~:: : :~:::::::;::::'.'::::5:::::::::::::::':::':':':':': :z:~.::::::: ::::: z..:~: ::::::: ~.:: .~:: :::: HANDBOOK OF A R T I F I C I A L INTELLIGENCE The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence, Volume One, edited by Avron Barr and Edward Feigenbaum. 424 pages. ISBN 0-86576-005-5. $30.00 (cloth). (Volumes Two and Three will be published in the Fall, 1981 and Winter, 1982, respectively.) What is a "heuristic problem-solving program?" How do computers understand English? What are "semantic nets" or "frames?" Can computer programs outperform human experts? Such questions -asked by scientists, engineers, students, and hobbyists encountering artificial intelligence for the first time -- can now be readily answered by The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence, a work which makes the full scope and the important techniques and concepts of artificial intelligence available for the first time to the rapidly expanding world of computer technologists and users. Professor Feigenbaum, Chairman of Stanford University's .Computer Science Department, explains that artificial intelligence makes available the power of the computer to the rest of the world: "Most of the world's work is not characterized by a mathematical or statistical core, nor is it business data processing. Most of the professional work is inferential problem-solving -- symbolic problem solving combining facts with expertise. That is the bread and butter of what doctors do, and what scientists and engineers do. In fact, only the physical science and engineering have been able fully to exploit computers, for they are based on mathematics. The other professionals have hardly been able to tap computer use. Our work at Stanford is the entry by which other professions are going to be able to use the inexpensive power of computers." The scope of The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence is broad. The three-volume work will eventually encompass over two hundred short articles covering all of the important ideas, techniques, and systems developed during twenty-five years of research in the artificial intelligence field. The articles are written for people with no background knowledge in artificial intelligence. Some articles serve as overviews, discussing the various approaches within a subfield., the issues, and the problems. The Handbook is a reference work, a textbook, a guide to programming techniques and to the extensive literature of the field, and a book for intellectual browsing. Jargon has been eliminated in each of the short, penetrating articles, and the hierarchical organization of the book allows readers to choose how deeply they wish to delve into a particular subject. Conceived and developed at Stanford University's Department of Computer Science, with contributions from universities and laboratories across the nation, The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence promises to become the standard reference work in the rapidly growing artificial intelligence field. lO

Journal

ACM SIGART BulletinAssociation for Computing Machinery

Published: Oct 1, 1981

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