Fwd: Python syntax in Lisp and Scheme

[Mark Wilson]

I have tried on 3 occassions to become a LISP programmer, based upon
the constant touting of LISP as a more powerful language and that
ultimately S-exprs are a better syntax. Each time, I have been
stopped because the S-expr syntax makes we want to vomit.

Although people are right when they say that S-exprs are simpler, and
once you get used to them they are actually easier to read, I think
the visual impact they have on those not used to it is often
underestimated.

And to be honest, trying to deal with all these parenthesis in an
editor which doesn't help you is not an encouraging experience, to say
the least. You need at least a paren-matching editor, and it is a real
big plus if it also can reindent your code properly. Then, very much
like in python, the indent level tells you exactly what is happening,
and you pretty much don't see the parens anymore.

[snip]

While I'm a big fan of emacs, I use the Dr. Scheme editor for Scheme
programming. It matches parentheses by highlighting the entire
parenthesized expression, indicates unnecessary parentheses at the end
of an expression and automatically indents for readability. It's syntax
checker highlights out of place code within an expression. When program
execution generates an error, it provides helpful arrows indicating the
context in which the error occurred. Dr. Scheme is available here:

http://www.drscheme.org/

Regards,

Mark Wilson