Everything (you think) you know about Common Lisp is wrong!

A lot of programmers aren't aware of Common Lisp. Many others hold a number of misconceptions about it, ranging from common misunderstandings to completely outlandish myths -

1. "Lisp is hard [to read/write/edit] because of all those parentheses!!!1 😭"
2. "Lisp is dead!" / "Lisp is old and outdated!"
3. "You can't make $FOO with Lisp!" (where $FOO is GUIs, web apps, games, etc)
4. "Lisp is too slow!"
5. "Lisp = functional programming!"
6. "Nobody uses Lisp!" / "Learning Lisp won't help me get a job!"
7. "The only data structure in Lisp is linked lists!"
8. "The only way to iterate in Lisp is recursion!"

We start with a quick look at the origins and history of Common Lisp, and the basic syntax and semantics of the language.

We then attempt to debunk these misconceptions, and show you why Common Lisp remains on top in terms of productivity and expressiveness - despite having existed for decades, and despite so many languages trying to borrow innovations from it.