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# Installing common lisp etc like I use it geared for beginners

All my other articles are predicated on a minimal, popular setup that has a clearly drawable history from the 60s until now. I think that [Rob Pike complaining about how popular it was in 2000](http://doc.cat-v.org/bell_labs/utah2000/) and [Strandh in 2008](http://metamodular.com/Essays/wrong.html) show it's popular. For a current reference, look at [my friend Sacha's body of work](https://sachachua.com/blog/) [and conference](https://emacsconf.org/). Stuff that is popular, was popular 10 and 20 years ago and also 50 years ago does not go away overnight. Normally the person telling you it's not used anymore is trying to sell you something to use instead.

Our purpose here is we need several of the major lisp interpreters/compilers (they are different enough to all be needed), and we will get emacs with [slime](https://slime.common-lisp.dev/) "superior lisp interaction mode for emacs" and [eev](https://anggtwu.net/#eev) "I forgot what eev stands for". slime makes lisp be like lisp's always been like, and eev makes emacs easy to control for certain meanings of the word easy and certain meanings of the word control.

## Lisp compilers and emacs environment from your package manager

On anything like a normal computer, you just do this:

```
doas pkg_add ecl clisp sbcl git emacs
```

on a BSD where doas is like entering an admin password to install programs for every user of the computer.

On debian, the equivalent would be

```
sudo apt install -y ecl clisp sbcl git emacs
```

if you don't know how to do some version of exactly this for your personal computer, [reach out to me](https://gamerplus.org/@screwlisp) or just howl into the void on the Mastodon and you will receive plentiful and enthusiastic help.

These were [Embeddable common lisp](https://ecl.common-lisp.dev/), [GNU C lisp](https://www.gnu.org/software/clisp/), [Steel bank common lisp](https://sbcl.org), git (some thing by the linux guy) and emacs which is an incarnation of [the One True Editor](https://cliki.net/emacs).

## Setting up emacs

I guess this is the scary step.

1. Run emacs
1. Type `M-x package-list <ret>` = `"alt+x (release alt+x) package-list <press enter>"`
1. Type `C-s <space>eev <ret>` = `"control+s (release control+s) (press space)eev <press enter>"`
1. Press `i` (for install) then `x` for execute

we're halfway there. Do *your computer's* variation on the following. Same advice rule as above.

You might want to install slime differently. Check out https://slime.common-lisp.dev/doc/html/ which is a very useable web document.

```
mkdir ~/common-lisp/
cd ~/common-lisp/
git clone https://github.com/slime/slime

mkdir ~/.emacs.d/
cd ~/.emacs.d/
ln -s ~/common-lisp/slime
```

Press `C-x C-f ~/.emacs.d/init.el` = Hold down control, tap x, tap f, release control, write ~/.emacs.d/init.el and press enter

add these at the top:

```
(add-to-list 'load-path "~/.emacs.d/slime/")
(require 'slime-autoloads)

(require 'eev-load)
(eev-mode 1)
```

Okay, we did it.

You should definitely pick up and get to know the other lisp compilers I didn't mention as well. [gcl](https://www.gnu.org/software/gcl/), [ccl](https://ccl.clozure.com/), [sicl](https://github.com/robert-strandh/SICL) and [abcl](https://armedbear.common-lisp.dev/) spring to mind. Note sbcl's parent was the well-known `cmucl` (Carnegie Melon University Common Lisp python compiler).

# Conclusion

At this point, you too are part of the lisp community. Welcome aboard.

# Fin.

See you [on the Mastodon, where I look forward to you howling for help.](https://gamerplus.org/@screwlisp/114893448605302124)