The videos were a lot easier to digest than reading the first few chapters of some lisp book, but I understand that if you aren't excited by learning about new languages, then this would seem dull.
I think it was controversial on the comp.lang.lisp newsgroup, with threads saying "It may be Reddit-ish but it lacks most of the features like a proper data store".
[Edit] Of course, I was reading that newsgroup at the time, so this isn't a 'I think' but a 'I know'.
The main reason for building that mini reddit clone was that the Reddit developers had just switched to Python and to use something different than a mini blog platform for a screencast.
And of course back then there was no Twitter to make 'exciting' little examples to show of frameworks or libraries ;-)
" couldn't see a link to the reddit clone working - is there one?"
I think this was when lispers (at least the ones hanging out c.l.l ) got all offended and huffy that reddit shifted from lisp to python and someone wanted to "prove" that it was a wrong decision and so built this thing. Some folks on c.l.l have always been a bit ... extreme.
I don't think it was ever a working system in the sense you mean it, just someone trying to show how obviously stupid the reddit folks were for selecting an inferior language like python (As compared to CL, the bestest language evah.
c.l.l has its share of aging crusty fanatics. If anything they dominate there.
That's pretty much my recollection as well. Many lisp advocates at the time pointed to Reddit as an example of a commercial success with lisp, and the reaction after they switched to Python got nasty, especially on #lisp.
Someone suggested the lisp community should build a "better one" than Reddit. As PG pointed out at the time of the switch "most of the complexity in the software is social, rather than technical." I don't think the author of Linkit really understood what he was saying.
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[ 3.0 ms ] story [ 44.0 ms ] threadI know this, because an hour ago I had only a passing interest in Lisp.
They just show someone typing in code and checking his browser to look at a list of plain-text links.
What exactly is the big deal here?
Watching paint dry could hardly be less exciting.
KPAX was featured in the controversial Lisp Movie ...[snip]
Anyone know why this is/was controversial?
[Edit] Of course, I was reading that newsgroup at the time, so this isn't a 'I think' but a 'I know'.
The main reason for building that mini reddit clone was that the Reddit developers had just switched to Python and to use something different than a mini blog platform for a screencast.
And of course back then there was no Twitter to make 'exciting' little examples to show of frameworks or libraries ;-)
http://www.ycombinator.com/arc/news.6sep06.arc
BTW: reddit was originally in lisp (they switched to python, for libraries and hiring).
- their blog: http://blog.reddit.com/2005/12/on-lisp.html
- Pycon Keynote question: http://brainsik.theory.org/.:./2009/why-reddit-uses-python (wow, bizarre directory name)
- web.py author: http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/rewritingreddit
I can't help but think that beginning in Lisp, and especially being familiar with lisp ideas, helped them a lot.
I think this was when lispers (at least the ones hanging out c.l.l ) got all offended and huffy that reddit shifted from lisp to python and someone wanted to "prove" that it was a wrong decision and so built this thing. Some folks on c.l.l have always been a bit ... extreme.
I don't think it was ever a working system in the sense you mean it, just someone trying to show how obviously stupid the reddit folks were for selecting an inferior language like python (As compared to CL, the bestest language evah.
c.l.l has its share of aging crusty fanatics. If anything they dominate there.
Someone suggested the lisp community should build a "better one" than Reddit. As PG pointed out at the time of the switch "most of the complexity in the software is social, rather than technical." I don't think the author of Linkit really understood what he was saying. .
More little KPAX live examples: http://kpax.wolf359.be/kpax/dynamic/welcome
http://weblocks.viridian-project.de/
And if I was to start playing around with one would you recommend Weblocks or KPAX or something else....
"A 20 millions a year business built on 20k lines of Lisp"
In other words, something "really big" in a relatively small amount of lines, not something "meh" in a pathetically small amount of lines.