Prototype Based Programming in Lisp?

[David McClain]

Hi All,

After having been comfortably isolated in a Lisp atmosphere for more than 20 years, I’m finding myself being dragged into a “new” world centering on Javascript and prototype based programming. It feels like I’m being dragged back by more than those 20 years, but in an effort to overcome the resistance tendencies of aging, I thought I’d delve a bit more deeply into this realm.

I’ve done some investigating and found the genesis in Self. But really, this seems like a trivial kind of pursuit for Lisp. I am aware of the new difficulties in making fast systems with the lack of classes, and troubles deciding inheritance of behaviors. 

Does anyone have some interesting insights and pointers to papers regarding prototype programming in Lisp?

- DM