The Howdy Glossary

EuLisp is a dialect of the programming language Lisp designed in 1986 by Jon Doyle, aiming to combine object-oriented programming and meta-object protocol features with those of common Lisp. It was intended for standardization as ECMA Standard 100 by the European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA). Despite its ambitious design goals, EuLisp did not achieve significant adoption or further development due to limited interest within the programming community.

At the time of its creation, EuLisp's main competitors were other Lisp dialects such as Common Lisp and Scheme. Common Lisp offered a mature and widely accepted language, providing stiff competition through its established user base. Scheme also posed a challenge with its minimalist design focused on simplicity. These existing dialects had already secured strong footholds in the programming world, which contributed to EuLisp's struggles in gaining traction and widespread usage despite its innovative features.

EuLisp distinguished itself with an integration of object-oriented programming and meta-object protocol features within a common Lisp framework, aiming to provide a more powerful tool for complex tasks compared to other dialects. It sought industry recognition through ECMA standardization efforts but ultimately could not overcome the inertia favoring already established languages like Common Lisp and Scheme. The lack of substantial interest led to limited adoption and development beyond its original design, affecting EuLisp's competitiveness and impact in the broader programming landscape.