Member Avatar for winrawr

anyone know of a free ANSI lisp compiler for download?
I want to learn some lisp but I don't want to use REPL in emacs anymore... I want to write source code and compile it haha.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Harleqin

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For : since the goal is to write source files and produce compiled output rather than live-editing in a REPL, there are several free, ANSI‑Common‑Lisp implementations beyond those already mentioned by and . Below are practical alternatives, a tiny file-based workflow you can try immediately, and a few platform/packaging notes.

Common free implementations to consider:

  • Clozure CL — fast native compiler with good macOS/Windows builds (ccl.clozure.com).
  • GNU CLISP — very portable, easy to install from distro package managers (clisp.sourceforge.io).
  • ECL (Embeddable Common Lisp) — compiles to C and is useful for creating small executables or embedding (common-lisp.net/project/ecl/).
  • ABCL (Armed Bear Common Lisp) — runs on the JVM if you want Java interop or jar deployment (abcl.org).
  • Portacle — a ready-to-run bundle (Emacs/SLIME + SBCL) if you want an out‑of‑the‑box environment without setup (portacle.github.io).

Minimal file-based workflow (works with any implementation supporting standard compile-file / load):

;; hello.lisp
(defun greet () (format t "Hello, world!~%"))

;; from the REPL:
(compile-file "hello.lisp")
(load (compile-file "hello.lisp"))
(greet)

This compiles the source to an implementation-specific fasl and then loads it for testing.

Notes and troubleshooting:

  • “ANSI Common Lisp” is the standard; use the HyperSpec for reference: Common Lisp HyperSpec.
  • If you want standalone binaries, look for implementation-specific tools (for example, image dumping or embedding features in SBCL, ECL, or ABCL).
  • On Windows/macOS/Linux prefer prebuilt binaries or your package manager (Homebrew, apt, etc.) to avoid build tool headaches.
    Choose the implementation that matches your priorities: native performance, small executables, JVM interop, or easiest setup.

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Member Avatar for Rashakil Fol

For what OS? My automatic answer is SBCL.

Member Avatar for Harleqin

I use SBCL with SLIME in Emacs, and I think that it's a nice setup to start with.

There is also LispWorks Personal Edition, which is free for personal use, but has some "nagging" limitations. However, as a commercial Lisp, it is very well maintained.

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