AutoLISP
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 87 of 163 programming languages by recommenders
People recommend it as a fun, easy way to automate AutoCAD and a first step into programming; the most common caveat is that AutoCAD has neglected it.
People recommend it as a fun, easy way to automate AutoCAD and a first step into programming; the most common caveat is that AutoCAD has neglected it.
14 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 13
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 93%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Owned for 33 years
Median of the 7 owners who said how long they have had it.
Each square is one year.
Why it carries the badge
- 13 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 13 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Gateway into tech and programming
“AutoLISP was the bridge that got me into tech as a profession over the geology field work I was doing.”
Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: AutoLISP interpreter in Rust/WASM – a CAD workflow invented 33 yrs ago” “It was the first truly useful software that I ever wrote”
Comment from 26 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: AutoLISP interpreter in Rust/WASM – a CAD workflow invented 33 yrs ago” “Autolisp definitely sent me down the left-paren path.”
Comment from 14 Feb 2026 in “Lisp-screenshots: today's Common Lisp applications in action” - Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: AutoLISP interpreter in Rust/WASM – a CAD workflow invented 33 yrs ago”
Fun, easy way to automate AutoCAD
“AutoLisp was both a pain and underrated. But, it was perfect for this sort of stuff.”
Comment from 26 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: AutoLISP interpreter in Rust/WASM – a CAD workflow invented 33 yrs ago” “It was useful and a lot of fun (aside from parenthesis nesting).”
Comment from 30 Mar 2026 in “Build123d: A Python CAD programming library” “It was just a fun and easy way to automate AutoCAD.”
Comment from 17 Jul 2026 in “A Road to Lisp: Which Lisp” Right abstraction with just enough structure
“AutoLISP was the right abstraction.”
Comment from 26 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: AutoLISP interpreter in Rust/WASM – a CAD workflow invented 33 yrs ago” “LISP had just enough structure.”
Comment from 28 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: AutoLISP interpreter in Rust/WASM – a CAD workflow invented 33 yrs ago”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Neglected by AutoCAD, not updated
“AutoCAD has severely neglected it, despite some large businesses built exclusively upon it.”
Comment from 26 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: AutoLISP interpreter in Rust/WASM – a CAD workflow invented 33 yrs ago” “Autolisp wasn't updated to track Xlisp's capabilities”
Comment from 8 Sep 2026 in “Schemy Lisp En DOS” Painful parenthesis nesting
“AutoLisp was both a pain and underrated. But, it was perfect for this sort of stuff.”
Comment from 26 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: AutoLISP interpreter in Rust/WASM – a CAD workflow invented 33 yrs ago” “It was useful and a lot of fun (aside from parenthesis nesting).”
Comment from 30 Mar 2026 in “Build123d: A Python CAD programming library”
Other programming languages people recommend
The four most recommended other programming languages, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
See all 163 programming languages, rankedWhat people said
16 of the 17 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Autolisp wasn't updated to track Xlisp's capabilities”
“It was just a fun and easy way to automate AutoCAD.”
“the LISP variant of old AutoCAD”
“It was useful and a lot of fun (aside from parenthesis nesting).”
“Autolisp definitely sent me down the left-paren path.”
“LISP had just enough structure.”
“Autolisp had prepared me for that world rather well.”
“AutoLISP was the bridge that got me into tech as a profession over the geology field work I was doing.”
“I could see vague outlines of a world of mathematical elegance just out of my grasp”
“It was the first truly useful software that I ever wrote”
“there's a lot of institutional knowledge and working code out there that just... works”
“AutoCAD has severely neglected it, despite some large businesses built exclusively upon it.”
“Memory-safe, small interpreter, sane.”
“AutoLISP was the right abstraction.”
“AutoLisp was both a pain and underrated. But, it was perfect for this sort of stuff.”
“When I see these examples I miss Autolisp”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.