Second Look at Interlisp

DATE: 2013-12-16

I had almost settled on learning Maclisp since it's available on so many of the
retro systems I've been playing on. Interlisp is only available here on 
Twenex.org as far as I know, but it has some unique features that I think make
it worth getting to know.

I mentioned Interlisp briefly a few posts ago, but it's designers put more 
emphasis on the interactive programming environment than on the language 
itself (the INTER in Interlisp is for interactive). It is as though they
started from a concept like Dartmouth BASIC where the user works with the
programming language inside an all-in-one environment where he can write,
edit, run, debug, save to disk, and recall programs from a single command
shell without having to know anything about the operating system running
underneath.

Except instead of targeting users with no previous computing experience like
BASIC, Interlisp targets (sophisticated) programmers. The programming
environment is supposed to let the computer keep track of "bookkeeping" as
much as possible, freeing the programmer to think deep thoughts about his
program.

In addition to the context-sensitive DWIM spelling corrector, the Interlisp
environment integrates change management, cross-referencing, and a Lisp-
oriented editor.

... In other news, I found the FORTRAN source for the original PDP-10 game
EMPIRE. I'll try to get it compiled and running.