Re: C interpreter in Lisp/scheme/python

[Michele Simionato]

On Jun 14, 1:07 am, bolega <gnuist...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I am trying to compare LISP/Scheme/Python for their expressiveness.
>
> For this, I propose a vanilla C interpreter. I have seen a book which
> writes C interpreter in C.
>
> The criteria would be the small size and high readability of the code.
>
> Are there already answers anywhere ?
>
> How would a gury approach such a project ?
>
> Bolega

This look like a huge project for an evaluation of expressiveness
which result is obvious. Lisp (including Scheme) is more expressive
than Python, for many definitions of expressiveness (see for instance
http://www.ccs.neu.edu/scheme/pubs/scp91-felleisen.ps.gz if you like
academic papers). However, who cares? What matters in everyday life
are other things, like the availability of libraries, tools, easy of
maintenance, etc.

In your proposed project the choice of the parsing library would
matter a lot. Writing languages is a domain where Lisp is
traditionally strong, so you may find good libraries to help you with
the task. My guess is that it would take more or less the same amount
of effort both in Python and in Lisp. The place where Lisp has an
advantage is writing an *embedded* language: then thanks to macros you
could write a *compiled* sublanguage. Doing the same in Python is
essentially impossible.

          Michele Simionato