I’ve been slowly reading On Lisp still and probably not picking much of it up because I haven’t really been able to think of anything to use as a testbed for code techniques.

I realised this was silly and decided to stay within the bounds of what I know and implement a simple web site engine of some kind, probably towards the CMS end of the spectrum, although we’ll see. For now I’ve created a teeny weeny script that uses two functions to facilitate the generation of valid CGI output. Check it out (feedback welcome).

I found just writing this taxing enough (it took about three hours to get to that point). I had to learn basic string manipulation and that involved learning how to learn about particular functionality rather than style. On Lisp is aimed more at people who can survive down in the trenches with Lisp already. I found the HyperSpec too far in the other direction and there’s little in between. Although the Common Lisp Cookbook is pretty useful.