
The Scheme Machine (1994) [pdf] - steven741
http://burgerrg.github.io/TR413.pdf
======
gnulinux
Quick question: why did we stop producing lisp machines, or any other machine
more closely related to Lambda calculus model of computation than a Turing
machine? Is it merely cultural, or are there technical reasons as to why we
stopped producing them competitively?

~~~
antt
In short Moore's Law.

Between 1970 and 2010 if you could design special purpose hardware that ran 10
times faster than the state of the art you would need to get it to market in
volume in under 3 years.

If you took any longer the general purpose CPUs from Intel would by that point
be within spitting distance of your superior architecture, at a fraction of
the cost.

That's what happened to Symbolics, general purpose PC's could run their
software faster than the dedicated machines they designed.

~~~
shawn
Also Lisp sucks in large groups. The simplicity is both its biggest strength
and weakness. There are fewer smart people by definition, and the smartest
people tend to want to make money. The net result is that you end up with blub
powering the world.

Luckily, there’s a way out: have your lisp machine transpile to blub.

~~~
antt
The smartest people I know are not making any money.

It is the mediocrities with delusions of grandeur that do.

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mepian
Here's a similar older project done at MIT AI Lab, another Scheme CPU called
the Scheme86:
[https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/6468](https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/6468)

~~~
convolvatron
don't forget what must by definition be the first scheme hardware design
(lambda: the ultimate opcode) [http://repository.readscheme.org/ftp/papers/ai-
lab-pubs/AIM-...](http://repository.readscheme.org/ftp/papers/ai-lab-
pubs/AIM-514.pdf)

~~~
wrycoder
And the follow-on implementation: The Scheme-79 Chip
[https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/6334](https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/6334)

There is also the assq chip, meant as a co-processor for Scheme-81 chip design
(which doesn't appear to have an AI Memo), as told by the fascinating Phil
Agre (later of Red Rock Eater News Service fame):
[https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/41168/AI_WP_2...](https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/41168/AI_WP_225.pdf)

I'm sorry I missed out on this: [https://www.artsy.net/artwork/gerald-sussman-
scheme](https://www.artsy.net/artwork/gerald-sussman-scheme)

------
imode
For all those downvoting my comments, why? Am I not contributing to the
discussion?

~~~
wrycoder
I'm thinking that your extraordinary rudeness to Carl Hewitt, one of our
elders, on the Actor thread was not appreciated.

