FAQ: Lisp Frequently Asked Questions 2/7 [Monthly posting]

• Introduction
• [2-1] Is there a GNU-Emacs interface to Lisp?
• [2-2] When should I use a hash table instead of an association list?
• [2-3] What is the equivalent of EXPLODE and IMPLODE in Common Lisp?
• [2-4] Is Lisp inherently slower than more conventional languages such as C?
• [2-5] Why does Common Lisp have "#'"?
• [2-6] How do I call non-Lisp functions from Lisp?
• [2-7] Can I call Lisp functions from other languages?
• [2-8] I want to call a function in a package that might not exist at compile time. How do I do this?
• [2-9] What is CDR-coding?
• [2-10] What is garbage collection?
• [2-11] How do I save an executable image of my loaded Lisp system? How do I run a Unix command in my Lisp? How do I exit Lisp? Access environment variables?
• [2-12] I'm porting some code from a Symbolics Lisp machine to some other platform, and there are strange characters in the code. What do they mean?
• [2-13] History: Where did Lisp come from?
• [2-14] How do I find the argument list of a function? How do I get the function name from a function object?
• [2-15] How can I have two Lisp processes communicate via unix sockets?
• [2-16] How can I create a stream that acts like UNIX's /dev/null (i.e., gobbles any output and immediately signals EOF on input operations)?
• [2-17] Read-time conditionalization of code (#+ #- and *features*)
• [2-18] What reader macro characters are used in major Lisp systems?
• [2-19] How do I determine if a file is a directory or not? How do I get the current directory name from within a Lisp program? Is there any way to create a directory?
• [2-20] What is a "Lisp Machine" (LISPM)?
• [2-21] How do I tell if a symbol names a function and not a macro?