Custom specializers in Object-oriented Lisp

We describe in this paper the implementation and use of custom specializers in two current dialects of Lisp: Skill and Common Lisp. We motivate the need for such specializers by appealing to clarity of expression, referring to experience in existing industrial applications. We discuss the implementation details of such user-defined specializers in both dialects of Lisp, detailing open problems with those implementations, and we sketch ideas for solving the

SBCL: A Sanely-Bootstrappable Common Lisp

This paper describes the development of an implementation of Common Lisp with the peculiarity that it is bootstrappable neither solely from itself, nor from some other language, but rather from a variety of other Common Lisp implementations. We explain the motivation for this bootstrap strategy, discuss some of the technical details involved in achieving it, and attempt to assess the technical and social effects that it has had on the development of the implementation and on Common Lisp users in general

Using Lisp Implementation Internals: Unportable but fun

We present a number of developer tools and language extensions that are available for use with Steel Bank Common Lisp, but which are perhaps not as well-known as they could be. Our motivation is twofold: firstly, to introduce to a developer audience facilities that can make their development or deployment of software more rapid or efficient. Secondly, in the context of the development of the Common Lisp language itself, we offer some observations of patterns of use of such extensions within the development community, and discuss the implications this has on future evolution of the language