Steel Bank Common Lisp

Steel Bank Common Lisp (SBCL) is an open-source implementation of the Common Lisp programming language. It is a high-performance, compiled language that supports interactive development. SBCL is a descendant of the CMUCL (Carnegie Mellon University Common Lisp) project and has been significantly developed and improved over the years. It is widely used in both academic and industrial settings for a variety of applications ranging from artificial intelligence and machine learning to web development and system scripting.

Overview

Steel Bank Common Lisp provides an efficient compiler, a debugger, and a flexible foreign function interface (FFI) that allows for calling functions in other programming languages. One of its notable features is the ability to compile Common Lisp code into machine code that runs directly on the hardware, which can lead to significant performance improvements over interpreted languages. SBCL also emphasizes conformance to the ANSI Common Lisp standard, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of Common Lisp code and libraries.

Features

• High-performance compiler: SBCL's compiler is capable of generating optimized machine code for various platforms, making it suitable for performance-critical applications.
• Interactive development environment: Like many Lisp implementations, SBCL supports interactive development, allowing developers to compile and test code on-the-fly.
• Robust debugging tools: SBCL includes powerful debugging tools that help developers diagnose and fix issues in their code.
• Foreign Function Interface (FFI): The FFI enables SBCL to call and be called by functions written in other programming languages, facilitating integration with existing libraries and systems.
• Cross-platform support: SBCL runs on multiple operating systems, including various Unix-like systems (Linux, BSD, macOS), and Windows.

History

Steel Bank Common Lisp originated from the CMUCL project in the late 1990s. The goal was to create a version of CMUCL that was easier to maintain and develop, leading to the creation of SBCL. Over the years, SBCL has evolved to include numerous enhancements and optimizations, making it one of the preferred Common Lisp implementations for many developers.

Usage

SBCL is used in a wide range of applications, from academic research in artificial intelligence and computational linguistics to practical applications in web development and data analysis. Its performance and compliance with the ANSI Common Lisp standard make it a versatile tool for developers.

Installation and Documentation

SBCL can be installed on various operating systems from the official website or through package managers. Comprehensive documentation is available, covering installation, language features, and development tools, helping new users to get started with SBCL.

Community and Development

The SBCL community is active, with contributions from developers around the world. The project is open-source, with its source code available on platforms like GitHub. Users and developers can contribute to the project, report bugs, and request features through the project's issue tracker.

See Also

• Lisp (programming language)
• Common Lisp
• CMUCL (Carnegie Mellon University Common Lisp)
• ANSI Common Lisp

External Links

• Official SBCL website

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