As someone who programs common lisp daily, I kind of hate scheme. (As an aside, I've had the enlightenment thing a couple of times, also, and it hasn't caused me to quit my job and write viaweb. (It did make me a better lover, however; YMMV)).<p>Not that it is a terrible idea to start with scheme or Clojure, but scheme seems too pure (I like a REAL macro the same way I like a woman who knows what she wants...).<p>Clojure was too much Java last time I checked (Stack-trace of doom! Where is my continuable error? God! My eyes! (awesome otherwise, let me know when this has been fixed)).<p>Anyway, the point being, these all seem to be scheme links, and I've never gotten anything done in scheme other than admiring how fucking beautiful it is (seriously, great trellises).<p>Here's my guide:
1.) install linux
2.) get sbcl
3.) get emacs and slime.
add something like this to your .emacs
(defun sbcl ()
(show-paren-mode)
(setq inferior-lisp-program "sbcl")
(add-to-list 'load-path "~/emacs/slime")
(require 'slime)
(slime-setup))
(sbcl)<p>4.) Maybe get/install Quicklisp.<p>5.) Hack hack hack. Just be stupidly prolific in your spare cycles. Impress your friends, classmates, coworkers, etc. They'll be confused as fuck about the syntax, but you'll know it is no different from any other syntax. (Also you will program fast as hell, you will be the Mercury to their Hephaestus)<p>6.) Make a modest salary.