LISP-STAT [5] is a statistical computing environment based on the Lisp language; it is available on a variety of processors and operating systems. Lisp is a dynamic language and as such lends itself to distributed applications--its flexibility, interactive nature and reflective (`code as data') properties make it an effective means of supporting multiple cooperative processes on a heterogeneous network. For these reasons, LISP-STAT is an ideal basis for the development of a statistical computing environment for heterogeneous networks.
LISP-STAT provides dynamic, interactive graphics. Under the X-windows system, LISP-STAT processes running on one workstation can use another for their display and user interaction. These facilities alone are sufficient to allow one user to run LISP-STAT processes on multiple computers, each having its display set to the user's workstation. However, to harness the full potential of such an environment, mechanisms for communication between those processes must be provided--and these mechanisms need to be supported within the LISP-STAT language so that they are available to a user writing LISP-STAT programs.