Subject: bug#49278: 28.0.50; Lisp Mode is for Common Lisp

From: Stefan Monnier <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2021 18:59:29 -0400

> Yeah, but fair to say MacLisp hasn't evolved tremendously in
> those years (and neither has Common Lisp sadly).

Same difference.  It only works for Maclisp to the extent that Maclisp
is similar to Common Lisp and not because `lisp-mode` is a major mode
for both Common Lisp and Maclisp.

> So I reckon lisp-mode wouldn't to a terrible job in most MacLisp
> programs.  And maybe even SLY and a modern Common Lisp compiler could
> probably grok MacLisp or Franz Lisp code given sufficient
> hand-holding.

IIRC they'd be surprised by the way arrays are treated:

    http://www.maclisp.info/pitmanual/array.html

or "hunks":

    http://www.maclisp.info/pitmanual/hunks.html

Also `lisp-mode` will happily misfontify and misindent `caseq` and `selectq`:

    http://www.maclisp.info/pitmanual/contro.html#CASEQ

[ There are significant incompatibilities, of course.  ]

The fact that such errors in the handling of Maclisp have not been
addressed in `lisp-mode` in all these years (despite that Maclisp has
been a very stable target during those years) shows clearly that
`lisp-mode` does not try to be a major mode for Maclisp.

        Stefan