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How much LISP is in RPL?
04-22-2014, 12:12 AM
Post: #4
RE: How much LISP is in RPL?
(04-21-2014 11:53 PM)Matt Agajanian Wrote:  how did RPL come to be known as Reverse Polish Lisp?

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/hp/hp48-faq/part2:
Quote: RPL is the name of the language used to program the HP48 and
HP-28 series calculators. RPL stands for "Reverse Polish Lisp".
It's interesting to note that an HP Journal article incorrectly
described RPL as "ROM-based Procedural Language".

From Bill Wickes:

RPL stands for Reverse Polish Lisp. In the early days of RPL
development, we got tired of calling the unnamed system "the new
system," and one of the development team came up with "RPL,"
both as a play on "RPN" which has been the loved/hated hallmark
of HP calcs forever, and as an accurate indication of the
derivation of the language from Forth and Lisp.

RPL was never particularly intended to be a public term; at the
time of the HP Journal article (August 1987) on the HP 28C there
was an attempt to create a less whimsical name--hence "ROM-based
procedural language," which preserved the initials but had a
more dignified sound. The development team never calls it
anything but (the initials) RPL. You can choose either of the
two full-word versions that you prefer. Or how about 'Rich
People's Language?'
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How much LISP is in RPL? - Matt Agajanian - 04-21-2014, 08:58 PM
RE: How much LISP is in RPL? - Thomas Klemm - 04-22-2014 12:12 AM



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