Installing CFFI on SBCL on Windows 11

Version info:
- OS: Windows 11 23H2 (Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.22631.7079])
- Emacs: 30.2
- SBCL : 2.6.4
- SLIME: 2.32

Install Quicklisp library manager

cd C:\lang\sbclwork
curl -O https://beta.quicklisp.org/quicklisp.lisp

This will download quicklisp.lisp into C:\lang\sbclwork
Load Quicklisp into SBCL

sbcl --load quicklisp.lisp

Install it (only once) into SBCL system

* (quicklisp-quickstart:install)

Install CFFI

* (ql:quickload :cffi)

Verify CFFI is loaded and working

(ql:quickload :cffi)
(cffi:defcfun ("GetTickCount" get-tick-count) :uint32)
(get-tick-count)

This was all done from the terminal. Below shows how it looks like in SLIME

; SLIME 2.32
CL-USER> (load "~/quicklisp/setup.lisp")
T
CL-USER> (ql:quickload :cffi)
To load "cffi":
  Load 1 ASDF system:
    cffi
; Loading "cffi"
..............
(:CFFI)
CL-USER> (ql:quickload :cffi)
To load "cffi":
  Load 1 ASDF system:
    cffi
; Loading "cffi"

(:CFFI)
CL-USER> (cffi:defcfun ("GetTickCount" get-tick-count) :uint32)
GET-TICK-COUNT
CL-USER> (get-tick-count)
1556937609
CL-USER> 

SBCL Hello, world!

Version info:
- OS: Windows 11 23H2 (Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.22631.7079])
- Emacs: 30.2
- SBCL : 2.6.4
- SLIME: 2.32

Create a file called hello.lisp and update to look like below -

(write-line "Hello world!")

Below shows where SBCL is located.

c:\lang\emacs-30.2\bin>where sbcl

C:\Program Files\Steel Bank Common Lisp\sbcl.exe

Run the script like, so:

c:\lang\emacs-30.2\bin>sbcl --script c:\lang\sbclwork\hello.lisp
Hello, world!

Emacs with SLIME for interactive development with SBCL on Windows 11

Emacs with SLIME for interactive development with SBCL

Version info:
- OS: Windows 11 23H2 (Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.22631.7079])
- Emacs: 30.2
- SBCL : 2.6.4
- SLIME: 2.32

Prep my work directories

C:\>md c:\emacs-profiles
C:\>md c:\emacs-profiles\work
C:\>copy con c:\emacs-profiles\work\init.el
^Z
        1 file(s) copied.

Run Emacs on my work directory, I have my bin files in c:\lang\emacs-30.2\bin

c:\>cd c:\lang\emacs-30.2\bin
c:\lang\emacs-30.2\bin>runemacs.exe --init-directory c:\emacs-profiles\work

Install SLIME

M-x package-refresh-contents
M-x package-install RET slime RET

Update init.el to use SBCL
Restart Emacs and load SLIME

M-x slime RET

Using Emacs as editor for SBCL on Ubuntu 26.04

Version info:

• OS: Ubuntu 26.04
• Emacs: 30.2
• SBCL: 2.6.0

Install Emacs and SBCL as needed:

$: sudo apt install emacs
$: sudo apt install sbcl

Configure Emacs with SLY (Sylvester the Cat's Common Lisp IDE for Emacs), fire up Emacs and do:

1. Install Sly package in Emacs

M-x package-refresh-contents
M-x package-install RET sly RET

2. Create or edit Emacs configuration file

M-: (find-file user-init-file)

My .emacs looks like below
3. Restart Emacs
4. Load SLY

M-x sly RET

Below shows SLY with SBCL loaded.

Using Emacs as editor for SBCL on Windows 10

Emacs is installed in C:\emacs, using version 30.2. I run it using C:\emacs\bin\runemacs.exe.

SBCL version 2.6.4 (sbcl-2.6.4-x86-64-windows-binary.msi) is installed in C:\Program Files\Steel Bank Common Lisp

1. Install Sly package in Emacs

M-x package-refresh-contents
M-x package-install RET sly RET

2. Create or edit ~/.emacs.d/init.el
3. Edit or replace contents like below
4. Restart Emacs
5. Load Sly

M-x sly RET

Note: Verify that you are not using ~/.emacs, otherwise it will not load configration from ~/.emacs.d/init.el

Below shows SLY with SBCL loaded.

I am having issues running code below on Windows 10, it seems the input is buffered. Pressing RET does not properly go to the next prompt.

(defun prompt-for-cd ()
  (make-cd
   (prompt-read "Title")
   (prompt-read "Artist")
   (or (parse-integer (prompt-read "Rating") :junk-allowed t) 0)
   (y-or-n-p "Ripped [y/n]: ")))

There is a workaround for the above bug, see below:
https://github.com/joaotavora/sly/commit/5a05c033197693462e67004549c24e0676eed53b

Emacs common commands

Character Operations:
DELETE : Delete character to the left of point (Also marked ROBOUT)
C-d    : Delete character to the right of (or under) point


Word Operations:
M-d    : Delete one word to the right (C-y yanks it back at point)
Cursor movement:
C-p    : Move to the previous line
C-n    : Move to the next line
C-f    : Move forward one char
C-b    : Move backward one char
M-f    : Move forward one word
M-b    : Move backward one word
C-a    : Move cursor beggining of the line
C-e    : Move cursor end of the line
M->    : End of file
M-<    : Beginning of file


Line operations:
M-m       : Move point to the first non-space in the line

Copying Text:
M-w     : Runs command kill-ring-save. This is like copy in Windows editors



Deleting Text:

C-SPC select text C-w	Delete selected text
M-d	Kill the next word after the cursor

Searching for text:
C-s           : Incremental search forward
C-r           : Incremental search backward


Misc commands

M-: user-init-file	Show the configuration file used by Emacs in the echo area
M-: (find-file user-init-file)	Edit user configuratin file

Convenience functions:
C-[number][char]
        : Repeat [char] [number] of times. Example C-8-0 1, repeat 1 80 times.

Dictionary:
M-$     : Check and correct spelling for the word at point

Others:
count-lines-region      
        : Count number line and chars for the selected text
untabify
        : Change tabs to space for the currently selected region


Python mode specific shortcuts:
M-/     : Command abbreviation expand
C-M-i   : Complete partial symbol or Intellisense in VS speak 


Links:
Emacs Keyboard keys (link)

Fedora install screen chronicle

Below are links to Fedora installation screens. It is interesting to see how it has evolved over time.
Fedora 43 Workstation
Fedora 42 Workstation
Fedora 41 Workstation
Fedora 40 Workstation
Fedora 39 Workstation
Fedora 38 Workstation
Fedora 37 Workstation
Fedora 36 Workstation
Fedora 35 Workstation
Fedora 34 Workstation
Fedora 33 Workstation
Fedora 32 Workstation
Fedora 31 Workstation
Fedora 30 Workstation
Fedora 29 Workstation
Fedora 28 Workstation
Fedora 27 Workstation
Fedora 26 Workstation
Fedora 25 Workstation
Fedora 24 Workstation
Fedora 23 Workstation
Fedora 22 Workstation
Fedora 21 Workstation
Fedora 20
Fedora 19
Fedora 18
Fedora 17
Fedora 16
Fedora 15
Fedora 14
Fedora 13