We Lost Something: 1970s REPLs Were Better Than Modern Development Environments
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Paul Tarvydas
Dec 6, 2025, 11:04:21 AMDec 6
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https://programmingsimplicity.substack.com/p/we-lost-something-1970s-repls-were?r=1egdky
> In the 1970s, Lisp and APL REPLs represented something we’ve lost: true interactive, exploratory programming environments where developer feedback was instantaneous, context was persistent, and the entire system was designed around the developer’s cognitive workflow.
> ...
> For decades, programming languages have tried to optimize for both development and production simultaneously, a conflation that created unnecessary complexity.
> ...
pt
> In the 1970s, Lisp and APL REPLs represented something we’ve lost: true interactive, exploratory programming environments where developer feedback was instantaneous, context was persistent, and the entire system was designed around the developer’s cognitive workflow.
> ...
> For decades, programming languages have tried to optimize for both development and production simultaneously, a conflation that created unnecessary complexity.
> ...
pt
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