Lisp (programming language)

LISP (or Lisp) is the name for a programming language. It is among the oldest programming languages that are still used today. Only Fortran is older. LISP was designed by John McCarthy in 1958. The two best-known dialects of LISP are Common Lisp and Scheme. Originally, LISP was based on the mathematical concept of lambda calculus (developed by Alonzo Church). It quickly developed into a language used for Artificial intelligence. Many concepts that are used in modern programming languages were pioneered by LISP. This is the case for Object-oriented programming, tree data structures and dynamic typing amongst others.

Linked lists are a very important data structure in LISP. Quite a lot can be done using linked lists. From there LISP has its name. It stands for LISt Processor.

The two varieties of LISP that are most common today are Common Lisp and Scheme.

LISP is a language that allows for Rapid prototyping. The basic concepts behind LISP are easy to learn. Logo is another dialect of LISP that has been developed specifically for children. Logo can help young children develop skills and become efficient within the programming language.