The hyperspec is standard document, not an introduction. It's an invaluable reference you use after you get familiar with the language. I also have emacs set up so that I can look up symbols from within my source, and have the relevant page open up in a w3m window in emacs. I use it constantly and miss the same level of quality and clarity in other language documentation, but you need to get used to it's style and format. If you want to get started with lisp, you go to http://www.gigamonkeys.com/book/ and http://www.cliki.net/
Learning lisp wasn't any more difficult for me than learning any other language. "Practical common lisp" is well written. "Object oriented programming in common lisp" is a well written book as well, "Land of lisp" was fun, and not too bad either.
The core language is extremely well documented and understood. As for the libraries, some of them are well documented, some of them aren't. After the docs for RESTAS started going slightly out of date, I just opened the source and read it all in an afternoon(~600loc), and mostly understood it. I prefer not to have to do that, but claiming it makes it extremely difficult to learn, I don't know, to me it's just an inconvenience, and I have a much better understanding of the framework now, which I couldn't get from just reading docs. And some libraries are so small, I can just figure them all by inspecting the package in slime, and reading the docstrings. Usually there is at least example code. The situation isn't perfect, but it is more than possible to use lisp libraries with great success. Most authors are also pretty approachable on irc or the mailing lists. In other words, I'm a young amateur programmer, who picked common lisp less than two years ago, I'm barely competent as a programmer, and I could figure this all out, why can't expert programmers with years of hacking behind them do the same, I can't understand.
PS as for the ugliness of the hyperspec, I'm happy if it scares away people who get impressed by "modern" design, more than substance and content. I usually read it in text only browsers, and curse docs I can't read well from within emacs. Alt-tabbing to a browser and having to use the mouse while hacking ruins my day :)
Learning lisp wasn't any more difficult for me than learning any other language. "Practical common lisp" is well written. "Object oriented programming in common lisp" is a well written book as well, "Land of lisp" was fun, and not too bad either.
The core language is extremely well documented and understood. As for the libraries, some of them are well documented, some of them aren't. After the docs for RESTAS started going slightly out of date, I just opened the source and read it all in an afternoon(~600loc), and mostly understood it. I prefer not to have to do that, but claiming it makes it extremely difficult to learn, I don't know, to me it's just an inconvenience, and I have a much better understanding of the framework now, which I couldn't get from just reading docs. And some libraries are so small, I can just figure them all by inspecting the package in slime, and reading the docstrings. Usually there is at least example code. The situation isn't perfect, but it is more than possible to use lisp libraries with great success. Most authors are also pretty approachable on irc or the mailing lists. In other words, I'm a young amateur programmer, who picked common lisp less than two years ago, I'm barely competent as a programmer, and I could figure this all out, why can't expert programmers with years of hacking behind them do the same, I can't understand.
PS as for the ugliness of the hyperspec, I'm happy if it scares away people who get impressed by "modern" design, more than substance and content. I usually read it in text only browsers, and curse docs I can't read well from within emacs. Alt-tabbing to a browser and having to use the mouse while hacking ruins my day :)