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title: Lisp Machine Manual (1984)
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Lisp Machine ManualSixth Edition, System Version 99June 1984Richard
StallmanDaniel WeinrebDavid Moon

This report describes research done at the Artificial Intelligence
Laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Support for the
laboratory's artificial intelligence research is provided in part by the
Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Department of Defense under
Office of Naval Research Contract number N00014-80-C-0505.

Preface

The Lisp Machine manual describes both the language and the operating
system of the Lisp Machine. The language, a dialect of Lisp called
Zetalisp, is completely documented by this manual. The software
environment and operating-system-like parts of the system contain many
things which are still in a state of flux. This manual confines itself
primarily to the stabler parts of the system. It describes how to
program, but not for the most part how to operate the machine. The
window system is documented separately in the Lisp Machine Window System
manual.

Any comments, suggestions, or criticisms will be welcomed. Please send
Arpa network mail to BUG-LMMAN@MIT-MC.

Those not on the Arpanet may send U.S. mail to Richard M. Stallman
Artificial Intelligence Lab 545 Technology Square Cambridge, Mass. 02139

Portions of this manual were written by Mike McMahon and Alan Bawden.
The chapter on the LOOP iteration macro is mostly a reprint of
Laboratory for Computer Science memo TM-169, by Glenn Burke. Sarah
Smith, Meryl Cohen and Richard Ingria of LMI, and Richard Mlynarik of
MIT, helped to correct the manual.

Personal Note from Richard Stallman

The Lisp Machine is a product of the efforts of many people too numerous
to list here and of the former unique unbureaucratic, free-wheeling and
cooperative environment of the M.I.T. Artificial Intelligence
Laboratory. I believe that the commercialization of computer software
has harmed the spirit which enabled such systems to be developed. Now I
am attempting to build a software-sharing movement to revive that spirit
from near oblivion.

Since January 1984 I have been working primarily on the development of
GNU, a complete Unix-compatible software system for standard hardware
architectures, to be shared freely with everyone just like EMACS. This
will enable people to use computers and be good neighbors legally (a
good neighbor allows his neighbors to copy any generally useful software
he has a copy of). This project has inspired a growing movement of
enthusiastic supporters. Just recently the first free portable C
compiler compiled itself. If you would like to contribute to GNU, write
to me at the address above. Restrain social decay--help get programmers
sharing again.
