Environment Setup

The first thing you’ll need to decide is what IDE you want to use. Traditionally Common Lisp developers use emacs and a connection to lisp like slime/swank for an interactive experience. However emacs, whilst powerful, presents a steep learning curve, so if you prefer a GUI based IDE you should start there. For detailed instructions, see the following from the cl-cookbook:

• Getting started
  • How to install a Common Lisp implementation
  • How to start a Lisp REPL
  • How to install third-party libraries with Quicklisp
  • How to work with projects
• Editor support
  • Using Emacs as an IDE
  • The LispWorks IDE
  • Using VSCode with Alive