A Lambda Logo Tour (and why LISP languages using λ as logo should not be looked upon kindly)
Xah Lee, 2002-02 Dear lispers, The lambda character λ, always struck a awe in me, as with other mathematical symbols. In my mind, i imagine that those obscure math symbolism are etched in stone by god. A salient example is the book cover Concrete Mathematics by Ronald Graham et al. (See it here: http://xahlee.org/UnixResource_dir/bcb/concrete-math.jpg.) Here we see the summation sign ∑ etched in stone. The summation sign happens to be my favorite math symbol. (chosen as my website signet: http://xahlee.org/Icons_dir/icon_sum.gif XahLee.org signet) These symbols are not to be trifled with. If anyone puffs in as much half a snicker, i wish god strikes a thunder upon their impudence. The Greek lambda symbol is used in a branch of logic called lambda calculus. The theories of lambda calculus is what functional languages are based on, thus many functional languages's logo feature the lambda. Here is a sampling: MIT Scheme logo MIT Scheme's logo features a recursive shield with lambda http://www.swiss.ai.mit.edu/projects/scheme/ Schemer.org's logo Schemer.org's logo has a modernized look. It is a simple lambda inside a O figuration. http://www.schemers.org/ (the O figure is supposed to be a pair of parenthesis) PLT Scheme logo PLT Scheme logo, notable is the red/white/blue coloring scheme. http://www.plt-scheme.org/ MzScheme MzScheme logo features a lambda besides a Chinese character 文 (wen2). The character means written language. http://www.cs.rice.edu/CS/PLT/packages/mzscheme/ Common Lisp HTTP server logo the Common Lisp HTTP server logo. http://www.ai.mit.edu/projects/iiip/doc/cl-http/home-page.html Scheme Shell logo Scheme shell scsh logo is a lamba inside a bivalve, perhaps most artistic of the bunch: http://www.scsh.net/ Haskell logo Haskell language logo is a plain lambda: http://haskell.org/ Hugs98 logo The Haskell interpreter Hugs98 features a 3D lambda with projected shadow http://www.haskell.org/hugs/ Yale Haskell logo Yale Haskell bullfrog Yale Haskell project used a logo that features symbols in lambda calculus including the lambda, and also a bullfrog head. Quite funny and beautiful. (the bullfrog logo origin is explained at the bottom. i.e. that of parody to Yale's bulldog logo) http://web.archive.org/web/20000301023909/http://www.cs.yale.edu/haskell/yale-fp.html The book cover Structure & Interpretation of Computer Programs by Abelson & Sussman, features a wizard and witch talking with prominent lambda, and a monster foot of the table showing: see: http://xahlee.org/UnixResource_dir/sicp-cover.jpg I love these lambda-featuring logos. However, i have a complaint. As most of you know, lisp languages are not purely functional languages. Subroutines in lisps easily have side-effects, and sometimes non-functional programing methodologies such as OOP are actually encouraged in lisp. As most of you know, the lambda symbol chosen by functional languages is to signify no side-effects. In this respect, i find the lisp languages not totally deserving the use of lambda in their logo. As i have expressed before, mathematical symbols are not to be trifled with, and the Schemers have tainted my mathematics, strickly speaking. Although i have these minor objections with lispers using the lambda symbol, but overall i think the lispers and i share a more important common goal. That is, to kill all imperative programing ignoramuses of the world. Once the unix and c and perl and otherwise idiots are all dead, then i'll formally raise my objection about Lisper's unfit borrowing of the math symbol and term lambda. (PS In America, imperative language programers are such not because they prefer such methodology, but because they know shit.) ---------------------------------- Addendum, 2003-05, 2006-04. Haskell logo above: Haskell language's new logo, inargurated in 2003-05. Superb! Haskell logo Haskell logo above: Two Web logos for Haskell. Someone has written a C++ library for functional programing, called FC++. (by Brian McNamara and Yannis Smaragdakis, 2003) Their website is http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~yannis/fc++/index.html. They have unsettled logos. Here's one of them: FC++ logo There's a Scheme-to-C compiler called Chicken (by Felix L Winkelmann, at http://www.call-with-current-continuation.org/chicken.html). Scheme Chicken logo This is getting silly and disrespectful. ---- This post is archived at: http://xahlee.org/UnixResource_dir/lambda_logo.html PS if you know any new lambda logo, please let me know. Thanks. Xah [EMAIL PROTECTED] ∑ http://xahlee.org/ -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
