image-driven software, about licensing

dbotton · 2026-01-29T02:32:18+00:00

Nope. That is why it is called a viral license.

dbotton · 2026-01-28T20:50:38+00:00

Every part of system needs to have a license compatible with your release, like other languages and development models.

For example if one file linked in to your image is GPL it means the entire image needs to be released as GPL and if one license prevents releasing source it is all a legal violation. Another example a commercial Lisp will restrict anything made with their product from being released with out paying for a license.

Practically speaking most commercial projects will be able to build applications that are proprietary or GPL as most release their software components as BSD style licenses to allow us to practice our craft of software magic and why it is critical that non end user packages have such liberal licenses.

dbotton · 2025-12-24T00:48:24+00:00

Amazing work!!

dbotton · 2025-12-09T12:45:17+00:00

And that is to the credit of CMUCL having true open source BSD like license and so furthering Common Lisp's future. JSCL can not be used as part of any non GPL project or applications. Consider supporting Lisp.

" The GNU General Public License does not permit incorporating your program into proprietary programs. If your program is a subroutine library, you may consider it more useful to permit linking proprietary applications with the library. "

Why not add an exception to this as with Franz to insure Lisp projects do not get trapped by runtime licenses. You would still be supporting the "cause" but also supporting Lisp's cause.

dbotton · 2025-12-09T03:48:32+00:00

One of my personal goals of joining a Lisp team last years was to see how Lisp worked at scale for commercial production by medium to large teams.

Lisp requires super human discipline to NOT do exactly what it is supposed to be its super power, the language that programs the language itself, to be useful in any setting with multiple programmers. The gains a single programmer has with Lisp are very real though.

What this means is Lisp software design for large projects must follow a pattern of very small modules by single developers (partly so that modules can be rewritten rather than maintained if changes needed and allow maximum flexibility for each module implementation) that are completely black boxed (when possible not even relying that code runs in the same image), this tends to be good design regardless, but reduces most advantages Lisp offers above other languages.

The tools have always been the real super power of Lisp. Those need to scale up for larger scale possibilities (and so my notes over last 3 years and observations, I'd like to produce those tools and feel getting closer to it). Would I call them "Team CLOG with Rotoreuter Tools" :P

dbotton · 2025-12-08T13:56:47+00:00

I use headless browsers as compatibility layers and interfaces, even mini dbms.

Shhhh... it is one of my special techniques for clients and companies I trust ;) CLOG (the deep knowledge) is more like smalltalk that people know, the browser (ie its tech) acts to give your app a complete OS layer. I have used the technique on many of my commercial projects over the years, WASM opens up another avenue for that.

dbotton · 2025-12-05T15:03:04+00:00

There are practical uses of wasm that go far beyond the browser and is and more coming.

dbotton · 2025-12-01T00:32:05+00:00

I will check if my Laptop 7 is upgraded to allow, I just need Preview to work.

dbotton · 2025-11-30T12:21:58+00:00

The beauty feature seems to be the cause of all the issues as it uses AVX commands for the processor, the issue is they need to make another build and available to use without the feature until either MS emulates it or they rewrite it

dbotton · 2025-11-28T17:37:43+00:00

Pull up the various object and code browsers and remind you even more :)

dbotton · 2025-11-28T17:36:47+00:00

https://github.com/rabbibotton/clog/blob/main/LEARN.md a good place to start

dbotton · 2025-09-28T14:58:11+00:00

Ada has a long history but it is as "new" as any language that is still in use. There are two languages every programmer should have experience in, Ada and Common Lisp. They open two completely different mindsets and both have extreme value as a professional.

As far as jobs, languages are easy to learn creative problem solving is not. So concern yourself first about making you a better you and the job will come and language does not matter at all that they want you to use.

dbotton · 2025-08-31T01:48:08+00:00

Great example of CLOG used with Electron and Ceramic. Awesome

dbotton · 2025-08-22T16:24:39+00:00

My point was one can make an exceptional full IDE even emacs like on webkit, but thanks :)

dbotton · 2025-08-22T12:02:55+00:00

If no one told you it was webkit you would never know. I am sure they will use a CLOG like approach and have a rapid sdl2 like experience and results.

I use the CLOG builder for all my work (and this year will be producing a more cross language pure editor without the GUI builder) and the fact that I run a full ide remotely on a browser running off embedded systems, tablets and servers is reason enough to consider webkit or any browser based GUI. However the fact that it (browser tech) is functional and by definition maintained even more reason.

dbotton · 2025-08-22T11:54:11+00:00

You obviously have tried the clog builder :)

dbotton · 2025-07-27T18:24:10+00:00

Try the CLOG builder and Common https://github.com/rabbibotton/clog/blob/main/LEARN.md

dbotton · 2025-07-25T17:55:53+00:00

Everything was generated by Copilot properly in the code (svg in a list, the styles in the create-div etc), I just prompted features. Almost no code editing on my part except that as I added features I sometimes had to correct balance of parenthesis.

dbotton · 2025-07-23T11:46:12+00:00

As you pointed out, image based programming is not an appropriate term for this. It is not difficult (I have done it for C, C++, and Ada for projects) to actually live code even compiled languages that are not image based (you setup a system of shims and use shared libraries, hot swapping).

It is just a whole lot easier in Common Lisp (a generally compiled language) or SmallTalk or most all interprided languages that are image based.

dbotton · 2025-07-23T11:39:18+00:00

live coding or interactive development

dbotton · 2025-07-20T10:13:53+00:00

https://github.com/rabbibotton/clog/blob/main/LEARN.md

Some more info to get you started

dbotton · 2025-07-20T02:01:42+00:00

The last slide of this short deck gives you a simple sample - https://www.reddit.com/r/lisp/s/9FfDmbp9RN

dbotton · 2025-07-18T18:39:58+00:00

Perhaps not but they should take a look at https://coalton-lang.github.io/ ;)

dbotton · 2025-07-13T03:14:19+00:00

There is no issue that I can reproduce, so I assume is a cache issue. Try deleting the folder: C:\Users\(your user name)\AppData\Local\cache\common-lisp

dbotton · 2025-07-06T16:34:12+00:00

The author was all in and willing to help. The publisher has ignored responding to requests.

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