The word "emacs lisp" refers to a programming language used in the popular text editor, Emacs. The spelling of this word is determined by the pronunciation of the two key components. "Emacs" is pronounced /ˈiːmæks/, with the stressed syllable being the first: "ee-maks". "Lisp" is pronounced /lɪsp/, with the stressed syllable being the second: "lissp". Therefore, the correct spelling is "emacs lisp" with a lowercase "e" and a lowercase "l". This essential language allows users to configure and automate workflows within the Emacs environment.
Emacs Lisp is a dialect of the Lisp programming language that is specifically designed to be used within the Emacs text editor. It is the primary programming language used for extending and customizing Emacs.
Emacs Lisp is a dynamically typed, interpreted language that includes many features commonly found in other modern programming languages. It supports functions, variables, conditionals, loops, and object-oriented programming paradigms. It also has powerful features for working with text, buffers, and files in Emacs.
One of the key strengths of Emacs Lisp is its extensive integration with Emacs itself. It allows developers to control almost every aspect of Emacs, from customizing the user interface to creating new editing commands and features. Emacs Lisp provides access to a wide range of Emacs functions and commands, enabling developers to automate repetitive tasks, create complex editing tools, and enhance Emacs with new capabilities.
Emacs Lisp programs can be stored in Emacs start-up files or loaded dynamically during an Emacs session. The language is highly extensible, allowing developers to write new functions and add them to Emacs, create custom key bindings, define new major and minor modes, and even modify the behavior of existing Emacs commands.
Overall, Emacs Lisp is a powerful and flexible programming language that empowers Emacs users to create a highly personalized and efficient editing environment tailored to their specific needs and preferences.
The word "Emacs Lisp" has its etymology in two components:
1. "Emacs": Emacs, short for "Editing Macros", is a text editing program created by Richard Stallman in the mid-1970s. It is extensible and customizable, allowing users to define their own commands and functionality.
2. "Lisp": Lisp is a programming language that was also developed in the 1950s. It stands for "List Processing" and is known for its powerful features, including the ability to manipulate source code as data, making it suitable for implementing languages and programming environments.
Therefore, "Emacs Lisp" refers to the specific dialect of the Lisp programming language used within the Emacs text editing program. It is the built-in extension language of Emacs, allowing users to extend and customize the editor to their liking.