COBOL in the Interlisp environment? Along with Fortran and a "Bitmap Editor as good as MacPaint" it was in a wishlist of system improvements and new features the Interlisp group compiled in the late 1980s. files.interlisp.org/medley/docs/... #interlisp #cobol #retrocomputing

We honor some of the key contributors to Interlisp who are no longer with us: Warren Teitelman, Danny Bobrow, John Sybalsky, and Steve Purcell. interlisp.org/history/in-m... #interlisp #retrocomputing

Margot created this art with the Interlisp bitmap editor (left window) and experimented with layering it over itself using the BITBLT graphics operation (right window). github.com/orgs/Interli... #PixelArt #interlisp

In the Interlisp environment the Process Status Window (PSW) is a tool for monitoring, manipulating, and debugging processes . An Interlisp "process" is what we now call a thread. interlisp.org/documentatio... #interlisp #lisp

The Interlisp function APROPOS prints the symbols which have the first argument as a substring, along with details relevant to each matching symbol such as the arguments of functions. This is the output of the call (APROPOS "HOSTNAME"). interlisp.org/documentatio... #interlisp #lisp

Why are we reviving Medley Interlisp? What are the goals of the project? We shared our stories and motivations for making the system run again. interlisp.org/project/stor... #interlisp #lisp #retrocomputing

The Interlisp environment can trace data packets over a local network. As in this example of the traffic for accessing a file server connected to a Xerox XNS network, emulated via Dodo Services running on Linux. #xns #interlisp #lisp

Interlisp-D came with the KERMIT and MODEM modules which implemented the respective file transfer protocols over RS-232 serial lines. They supported transfer of files with various systems, from microcomputers to mainframes. files.interlisp.org/medley/libra... #interlisp #kermit #retrocomputing

The AR database was the bug reporting and ticketing system of Interlisp-D. An "Action Request" (AR) was what we now call an issue or ticket. files.interlisp.org/medley/inter... #interlisp #bugs #retrocomputing

Ryan Burnside implemented the "Mystify Your Mind" screensaver in Interlisp to experiment with progressive dither fading. github.com/RyanBurnside... #interlisp #screensaver

GitHub - RyanBurnside/MYSTIFY: An Interlisp implementation of the classic "Mystify Your Mind" screensaver

An Interlisp implementation of the classic "Mystify Your Mind" screensaver - RyanBurnside/MYSTIFY

github.com

NoteCards was also used for supporting the writing process such as taking notes, maintaining bibliographies, outlining. This '87 paper reported on how writers used the hypertext system. dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1... dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1... #NoteCards #interlisp #retrocomputing #hypertext #writing

Margot created this art with the bitmap editing features of Medley Interlisp. github.com/orgs/Interli... #PixelArt #interlisp

We welcome to the fediverse Squeak/Smalltalk, an open source project that descends from the seminal work on Smalltalk at Xerox PARC. Interlisp was born in the same environment that originated these innovative technologies. fosstodon.org/@squeak squeak.org #smalltalk #parc #xerox #retrocomputing

Squeak/Smalltalk (@squeak@fosstodon.org)

16 Posts, 24 Following, 217 Followers · Squeak is a modern, open-source Smalltalk programming system with fast execution environments for all major platforms. It features the Morphic framework, which ...

fosstodon.org

URAID is the low level debugger and diagnostic tool of Medley Interlisp. The name comes from "Unix RAID", the latter likely a pun on the insecticide of the same name. This 1991 manual of Medley for Sun describes the URAID commands. interlisp.org/documentatio... #interlisp #debugger #retrocomputing

We had a meeting at the Computer History Museum and took the opportunity for a photo next to a Xerox Alto. From left to right: Nick Briggs, Ron Kaplan, Herb Jellinek, Frank Halasz, and Larry Masinter. computerhistory.org #interlisp #xerox #parc #chm

Ryan Burnside updated his game Hungarian Rings to lower the difficulty, redo the instructions, group the program windows, and add a visual signal when solved. github.com/RyanBurnside... #game #interlisp #lisp

Although NoteCards was not initially designed with collaboration in mind, this 1986 paper described some extensions for supporting collaboration. NoteCards is the hypertext system of Medley Interlisp. dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1... dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1... #interlisp #hypertext #retrocomputing

These are the screens of two Medley Interlisp instances connected to a Xerox XNS local network emulated via Dodo Services, all running on Linux. 1/2 #interlisp #lisp

The echo server of Medley Interlisp mirrors the packets received over a network. This is the output of the client, function NS.ECHOUSER, where ! represents a sent packet and + a received packet. 1/2 #interlisp #xns #lisp

On Medley Interlisp you can access all the source code, including that of core system features. For example, to open in the editor the CREATEW function for creating a window evaluate (ED 'CREATEW). And, of course, you can change and run the code. #interlisp #lisp

We encourage to check out the TWENEX (TOPS-20) public access system by SDF.org which also runs Interlisp-10. twenex.org wiki.twenex.org/tutorials:in... journal.paoloamoroso.com/exploring-in... #twenex #interlisp #retrocomputing

Ryan Burnside is experimenting with transparency and fading in the black & white graphical environment of Medley Interlisp. github.com/orgs/Interli... #interlisp #lisp

Post your screenshots here · Interlisp · Discussion #1097

Are you using Medley Interlisp or developing software with it? Please post your screenshots here. We'd love to see how you use the system and what you create with it. Feel free to add a few words o...

github.com

TEdit, the WYSIWYG editor of Medley Interlisp, also supports mathematical equations and symbols. #interlisp #lisp #retrocomputing

Interlisp-10 used shallow binding, Interlisp-D and Medley deep binding. The latter allows faster spaghetti stack operations such as backtracking, coroutines, processes (threads), and other control schemes. www.bitsavers.org/pdf/xerox/in... interlisp.org/documentatio... #interlisp #lisp

These are the screens of two Medley Interlisp instances connected to a Xerox XNS local network emulated via Dodo Services, all running on Linux. A frame delimits a clock application on the first instance. 1/2 #xns #interlisp #lisp

Ryan "Pixel-Outlaw" Burnside kickstarted the Interlisp demoscene with these creations. github.com/orgs/Interli... github.com/orgs/Interli... #interlisp #lisp #demoscene

Post your screenshots here · Interlisp · Discussion #1097

Are you using Medley Interlisp or developing software with it? Please post your screenshots here. We'd love to see how you use the system and what you create with it. Feel free to add a few words o...

github.com

In LOOPS, classes, class variables, and instance variables can have property lists of name/value pairs along with a value. It's useful for documentation, units, or other metadata. The declaration of an instance variable "mass": (mass 2.0 unit 'kg doc "Mass of a body") 1/2 #interlisp #oop #lisp

The Interlisp environment has no file picker dialog. Applications provide a text entry field to type a file name with optional path, as the TEdit WYSIWYG editor here which prompts for a file to open (GET). #interlisp #lisp

The Clearinghouse is the directory and naming service of the Xerox Network Systems (XNS) protocol suite, used by Xerox workstations and other machines including Interlisp systems. The Clearinghouse is to XNS what DNS is to TCP/IP. www.connected.app/ports/54 #xns #interlisp #retrocomputing

In 2025 Larry Masinter and Frank Halasz were guests of Do you speak tech?, a show of Near FM radio in Dublin. They chatted about Interlisp, their memories of Xerox PARC, the computing world then and now, and more. www.patrickdomanico.com/bpm/2026/06/... #interlisp #lisp #retrocomputing