Common Lisp programming: from novice to effective developer

Learn Common Lisp: A Deep Dive into the Powerful Programming Language

Discover Common Lisp, a foundational programming language with a rich history and a surprisingly vibrant modern ecosystem. This video series offers a comprehensive guide to learning Common Lisp, from the fundamentals to building real-world applications.

Why Choose Common Lisp?

Common Lisp isn't your typical programming language. It pioneered many key concepts in computer science and remains a powerful choice for critical applications, particularly in fields like quantum computing (used by companies like Google). It's favored by both large corporations and independent developers for its:

• Unmatched Development Environment: Experience an interactive, image-based development workflow with instant type warnings and errors at compile time.
• Performance: Achieve speed comparable to C, Rust, and Java without the added complexity.
• Stability: Benefit from decades of proven reliability and a robust ecosystem.
• Flexibility: A dynamic language ideal for a wide range of projects.

What You'll Learn:

This series takes you on a journey to develop Common Lisp software from scratch. We'll cover:

• Core Language Concepts: Master the syntax and fundamental principles of Common Lisp.
• Data Structures: Deep dive into essential data structures including lists, PLISTs, ALISTs, vectors, arrays, hash tables, CONS cells, trees, and sets. (New chapter released October 2025!)
• Functions & Macros: Explore the power of functions and macros for code abstraction and reusability.
• Iteration & Control: Learn various iteration constructs and error/condition handling techniques.
• CLOS Object System: Discover the CLOS object system (introduced in 2024) for object-oriented programming.
• Building Self-Contained Binaries: Package your Common Lisp applications for deployment.
• Ecosystem Exploration: Gain familiarity with a dozen key libraries and tools.

Tools & Environments:

We'll use Emacs and Slime as our primary development environment, but the concepts apply to other editors like:

• Atom/Pulsar
• Vim
• VSCode
• Sublime
• JetBrains/IntelliJ
• LispWorks
• Lem
• Jupyter Notebook
• CLOG
• Simple Text Editor + Command Line

Resources:

Complement this video series with the Common Lisp Cookbook for practical recipes and solutions. I also share supplementary videos on my YouTube channel (vindarel). Subscribe now to receive future chapters at no extra cost!

Note: While we'll touch on the theoretical aspects of Lisp, our focus is on practical application. Expect to dive into the Common Lisp way of doing things quickly. For a faster pace, watch videos at 1.25x or 1.5x speed. Remember to avoid skipping content, as we build upon previous lessons.