> Common Lisp does provide primitives for just about everything Most of it are n... | Hacker News

Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit

masklinn on March 5, 2015 | parent | context | favorite | on: The Go Programming Language by Brian W. Kernighan,...

> Common Lisp does provide primitives for just about everything

Most of it are not primitives though, Common Lisp only defines 25 special forms. Guess how many keywords Go has?

_19qg on March 5, 2015 [–]

I would see more 'primitives' in a language than 'special forms'.

For example Common Lisp provides support for complex numbers and operations for them. These operations are 'primitives' in the language. This is unrelated to 'special forms'.

Consider applying for YC's Fall 2026 batch! Applications are open till July 27.
Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact