Netscape, GPL & Lisp

[Jordan Henderson]

> 
> Byron Davies wrote:
> > 
> > The source code for Netscape Navigator turns GPL on March 31.
> 
> Well, it doesn't actually turn GPL, but it does turn free, which
> is close enough.
> 
> >  How about
> > reimplementing it in Common Lisp, providing a Lisp-based desktop primed for
> > further innovation?
> 
> If you're going to reimplement it, what does it matter if you
> have the source code or not (since it is written in C and C++)?
> 

It's called design recovery.  Coding is actually only a small part
of implementing real world systems.  Design and redesign is a more
daunting task.  Even if you put something out that doesn't have a 
lot of design thought into it up-front, it will get design time put
into it as it's used and reworked (evolutionary design).

One use of Netscape would be to rip out all the Javascript/Java 
scripting and replace it with some kind of Lisp system.  Then, 
you'd have the start of a portable GUI for Lisp development 
that already supported HTML for documentation, FTP for updates
and be MIME aware for everything else.

> -- 
> Chris Bitmead
> http://www.ans.com.au/~chrisb
> mailto:chrisb@ans.com.au
> 
>