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Robert van Engelen implemented a full Lisp interpreter in 99 lines of C that…

Brief

Robert van Engelen released a complete Lisp interpreter implemented in just 99 lines of C, featuring 21 built-in primitives, garbage collection, and an interactive REPL. He proved its small size by running it on a 1990s Sharp pocket computer, and published the free source with a line-by-line explanatory article.

Why it matters

Robert van Engelen implemented a full Lisp interpreter in 99 lines of C that includes 21 built-in primitives, a garbage collector, and an interactive REPL.

Key details

  • To demonstrate its compactness and portability he compiled and ran the interpreter on a Sharp pocket computer from the 1990s.
  • The interpreter’s source is freely available and every line is explained in an accompanying article.
Source evidence

Robert van Engelen wrote a complete Lisp interpreter in just 99 lines of C

it includes 21 built-in primitives garbage collection and an interactive REPL

to prove how small it is he ran it on a Sharp pocket computer from the 1990s

the source is free and every line is explained in an accompanying article