User:Jayrod/Lisp

Lithp

Lithp (Loth of Irritating Thilly Parenthethith) ith a reflective, functhional programming language.

LITHP: A Thynopthith

Lithp (Loth of Irritating Thilly Parenthethith) ith a reflective, functhional programming language with a long hithtory. Originally developed ath a practical computathional model (in comparithin to Alan Thuristh'sthiths), it later became the favorite artifithial intelligenth rethearch language during the field'th heyday in the 1970sth and 1980sth. The languache pioneered the uth of three thructhurth, (Eth-exprethionth), automatic thtorage management, interpreterth, and functhional programming. Today, Lithp languagith are uthed, albeit thparthly, in many fieldth, from web development to finanth, and are altho common in computer thienth education.

Lithp, the Bathard Thon of BATHIC: Programming in Early Lithp

Early on, Lithp wath, ath motht programming languageth are, a cheap knockoff of BATHIC. Thuth, it progrethed much ath BATHIC progrethed. For exthample, a Lithp program written by a twelve-year-old AOL h4xth0r thirca. 199th7 would look like thith:

public clath Lithp {
 public thtatic void main (thring argth) {
  Lbl H4CK;
  Thythem.out.println("Hello, world. I am programming in Lithp. F33r m3.");
  Goto H4CK;
 }
}

Lithp, the Accthethable Language: Programming in Later Lithp

In hopth of making Lithp a language that could be both funny and well liked by children, Later verthionth adopted a more reathonable thyntax, uthing the characterth with which lithperth were motht comfortable: '(' and '). To uth thith new character thet, the lithper writhe as much random brackeths as pothible, and then convintheth people that ith'sth a working computer program. For ekthample, the following program writh out numberth from 1 to 10: An ethample followth:

((((((( )())) (((())) (((( ( ))) (( ) ())) ()()()(()()()()))))))))()(()(())())))))
      ()()))))() 
((()))()
((                                                                 )

Thith program thegfaulth immediately before taking a dump.

Real-world Applicationth

The abthtract character of the language, combined with ith power for thtring manipulation, make it a nathural choith for artifithial intelligenth. The United Thtateth military uthed it extenthively in the eightieth, for automation of image procething and code-breaking. Finding it ultimately unable to produth any kind of intelligenth, the military turned the program over to the Department of the Interior, which hath thinth uthed it in newer verthions of Congreth.

The Lithpon Inthident

For a detailed account of LITHPth uthefullneth in foiling terrorithtth, we thuggetht peruthing the article on the famouth Lithbon Inthident.

LITHP, a Prognothith

Terminology in LITHP hath developed ith own vocabulary and uthage. In Lispth, everything ith either an electron, quark, parenthethethe, or thubatomic particle. Thome of thethe particlth join together to form lithth, altho called atomth. Thomehow, perhapth due to ath-backwardth nature of the language, terminology became confuthed, and "atom" now altho referth to the individual elementh.

Mothtly in rethponth to crazy thit like above, Lispth has decreathed in popularity, now uthed only by a fanatical group of people that claim Lithp ith better than anything elth, even thex. Ethtimath publithed ath a thpethial report in the reknowned technical journal Playboy on Thurthsday, Augusthth Theventeefth, Nineteen Theventy Theven thow that the number of Lithp utherth thould thrink to thero by the year two thouthand and ten, ath they cannot find anyone to hire them for theriouth work, tho they thtarve to death.

Thee altho

• Organizathon for Helping Engineerth Learn Lithp (OHHELL)
• The Letter Eth