Slow down!!

[Mike McDonald]

>From: reti@wilson.ai.mit.edu
>Date: Sun, 27 Apr 1997 05:27 -0400
>Subject: Slow down!!
>To: mikemac, lispos@math.gatech.edu


>      Next, the LispM camp. What advantage will an integrated Lisp and OS
>    bring to the commercial world? 
>
>To answer that question, I have to describe first the area in which I
>see a Lispm-like system as indispensable.
				   
>So, to answer the question (why would the commercial world choose this?),
>because it could get more functionality for less money, or in some cases,
>functionality at all (since the projects when tackled in less flexible
>environments would be virtually undoable, no matter how much was spent).

  Is this a fair summary of the LispM position: there are still large
problems that require an integrated solution and a LispM provides an
environment that can handle these problems easier than other
alternatives. 

  I'd agree to that. I guess one of the major drawbacks to the
Symbolics line of LispMs was delivery of the final solution was
expensive. I'm assuming you're arguing that commodity PCs with a
"LispOS" would make a cost effective delivery platform. I think I'd
agree to that too. Maybe the LispM's time has come after all.


>				   How will your tightly integrated LispM
>    environment interoperate with the existing disjointed world? 
>
>Via the network.

  In a client/server app, I can see how that would work. In a more
general environment, it's a bit cloudier. Would you support X for
displaying remote apps? Or JAVA? Or HTML? How about all of those
Windoze apps?

  Mike McDonald
  mikemac@engr.sgi.com