A successful lisp machine?

Mike McDonald mikemac@titian.engr.sgi.com
Tue, 29 Apr 1997 17:56:48 -0700


>To: perry@zso.dec.com
>Subject: Re: A successful lisp machine? 
>Date: Tue, 29 Apr 1997 17:11:04 -0700
>From: Kelly Murray <kem@Franz.COM>
>
>
>> browser. You do not feel that the web is an extension of the
>> desktop. For example I click on a URL object on the desktop and it
>
>Let me put it this way.
>
>I think there are so many cases/applications where
>"the web browser is the desktop" that we can ignore
>all the rest and we will still be a huge success.
>
>As I've said, what I want might be viewed as a very narrow focus.
>But I think that is why it can succeed.  It is trying to do
>just one thing better than anyone else can, which is utilize
>just the web browser for the user interface for applications.
>
>A lisp persistent object web-server is the right tool for this job.
>All the other approaches to this job are using the wrong tools
>(e.g. PERL CGI scripts) and rapidly become hopelessly complex
>to maintain and evolve when the application grows to any non-trival size.
>
>-kelly

  Yes, I think Lisp can provide a better backend to web servers than
the current PERL CGI script method. But that's different than making a
web server the front end to the machine. Providing the world's
greatest web server from the PC LispM is something we should make
every attempt at doing. But making Netscape or IE the windowing system
for the box is not my cup of tea, to put it politely.

  BTW, can you guys trim the reply headers a bit. I'm starting to get
six copies of most messages. Two was bad enough but six is a bit of an
overkill.

  Mike McDonald
  mikemac@engr.sgi.com