From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Luc Teirlinck Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: listp docstring. Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2006 22:31:02 -0600 (CST) Message-ID: <200601300431.k0U4V2a03419@raven.dms.auburn.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1138595706 5190 80.91.229.2 (30 Jan 2006 04:35:06 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 04:35:06 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Mon Jan 30 05:35:02 2006 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1F3Qkl-0003fo-EX for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 30 Jan 2006 05:34:59 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1F3Qnh-0000AN-Tp for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sun, 29 Jan 2006 23:38:01 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1F3QnH-00005h-JX for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 29 Jan 2006 23:37:35 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1F3QnF-00004x-Rq for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 29 Jan 2006 23:37:35 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1F3QnF-00004t-Mw for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 29 Jan 2006 23:37:33 -0500 Original-Received: from [131.204.53.104] (helo=manatee.dms.auburn.edu) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.52) id 1F3QlU-0008Vm-TR for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 29 Jan 2006 23:35:45 -0500 Original-Received: from raven.dms.auburn.edu (raven.dms.auburn.edu [131.204.53.29]) by manatee.dms.auburn.edu (8.13.3+Sun/8.13.3) with ESMTP id k0U4YUTc017781 for ; Sun, 29 Jan 2006 22:34:30 -0600 (CST) Original-Received: (from teirllm@localhost) by raven.dms.auburn.edu (8.11.7p1+Sun/8.11.7) id k0U4V2a03419; Sun, 29 Jan 2006 22:31:02 -0600 (CST) X-Authentication-Warning: raven.dms.auburn.edu: teirllm set sender to teirllm@dms.auburn.edu using -f Original-To: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Greylist: Sender IP whitelisted, not delayed by milter-greylist-2.0.1 (manatee.dms.auburn.edu [131.204.53.104]); Sun, 29 Jan 2006 22:34:30 -0600 (CST) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:49738 Archived-At: I do not exactly want to start another thread of the car/cdr type. But the docstring of listp _really_ can be unclear _even_ for people who know Lisp. The current docstring is: Return t if object is a list. This includes nil. But "list" is ambiguous: its strict meaning, intended here, is "cons cell or nil". But it is very often used informally in the sense of "true list", including in some other docstrings. The car/cdr thread has shown that there really is some potential confusion here, since many people do understand list as "true list". What about the following docstring, which I can install if desired: Return t if OBJECT is a list, that is, a cons cell or nil. Otherwise, return nil. Sincerely, Luc.