1 Introduction
CMUCL is a free, high-performance implementation of the Common Lisp
programming language which runs on most major Unix platforms. It
mainly conforms to the ANSI Common Lisp standard. Here is a summary of
its main features:
- a sophisticated native-code compiler which is capable of
powerful type inferences, and generates code competitive in speed with
C compilers.
- generational garbage collection and multiprocessing
capability on the x86 ports.
- a foreign function interface which allows interfacing with C code and
system libraries, including shared libraries on most platforms, and
direct access to Unix system calls.
- support for interprocess communication and remote procedure
calls.
- an implementation of CLOS, the Common Lisp Object System, which
includes multimethods and a metaobject protocol.
- a graphical source-level debugger using a Motif interface, and a
code profiler.
- an interface to the X11 Window System (CLX), and a sophisticated
graphical widget library (Garnet).
- programmer-extensible input and output streams.
- an Emacs-like editor implemented in Common Lisp.
- public domain: free, with full source code and no
strings attached (and no warranty). Like GNU/Linux and the *BSD
operating systems, CMUCL is maintained and improved by a team of
volunteers collaborating over the Internet.
This user’s manual contains only implementation-specific information
about CMUCL. Users will also need a separate manual describing the
Common Lisp standard, for example, the
Hyperspec
In addition to the language itself, this document describes a number
of useful library modules that run in CMUCL. Hemlock, an Emacs-like
text editor, is included as an integral part of the CMUCL
environment. Two documents describe Hemlock: the Hemlock
User’s Manual, and the Hemlock Command Implementor’s Manual.