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I've been looking to embed Lisp in some C++ code. Two options I'm interested in is Bigloo Scheme and ECL (Common Lisp). Reading through the docs they seem to support a very similar feature set. Obviously Bigloo is Scheme and ECL is CLisp, but what other differences do they have?

In particular I'm interested in the following criteria:

  • Ease of embedding (for C++, not just C). I don't want to write a bunch of boilerplate.
  • Performance. Bigloo is performance based and has many compiler optimization options, although I can't find anything comparable for ECL.
  • Style of coding. This one is more for Bigloo - is it more functional than ECL?

I'm targeting this question towards someone who has used both.

Pubby
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    This is not really a suitable question for StackOverflow because it amounts to "should I learn Scheme or Common Lisp". It doesn't sound like you know either language because you're comparing Bigloo and ECL as if they were implementations of the same thing to the point of believing they have a "very similar feature set"! Also, By the way, *CLisp* is not an acceptable abbreviation for *Common Lisp*. There is a Common Lisp implementation called CLISP. Common Lisp is sometimes abbreviated CL. – Kaz Apr 02 '12 at 18:50
  • @Kaz If I knew the languages/implementations well then I wouldn't be asking this question! Also, I fail to see how this is a "should I learn Scheme or Common Lisp" question, I've even checked with the mods prior to migration and they said it was acceptable. – Pubby Apr 02 '12 at 19:30
  • As far as ease of embedding is concerned, Chibi Scheme is also worth having a look at: http://code.google.com/p/chibi-scheme/ – piokuc Nov 27 '12 at 18:16

1 Answers1

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Ease of embedding: For C++ should be about the same. Bigloo has a better story for Java and C# embedding IIRC.

Performance: Really depends on what you are going to use it for. They both are "okay" performers as far as Lisps go. The ability to embed in C reduces the opportunities for a lot of optimizations.

Style of Coding: This is really the big difference between the two, and why a comment said it amounts to "should I learn Scheme or Common Lisp" Both are mature embeddable implementations of two very different standards (R5RS and ANSI Common Lisp).

Jason
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