From: Devin Mullins <twifkak@...>
Date: 2005-09-27T21:21:07+09:00
Subject: Re: Fwd: Lisp macros

Devin Mullins wrote:

> The big thing Lisp has that Ruby can't do is code-as-data. I wish I 
> could provide a good example of how that might be used practically, 
> but it's been quite a while since I touched lisp.
>
> Devin

Well, nobody's provided an example. The best I can do is provide more 
explanation. Since code is just (blah blah (blah blah)) -- that is, just 
a list -- and Lisp has the capability to delay evaluation (I think with 
an '), you can pass code into another function and have that function 
actually manipulate the internals of your code, and build some new code 
out of it. You could, maybe, write something that stripped all the print 
statements out at runtime... Crappy example...

Help! Is there a Lisper in the house?

Devin