From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Mario Domenech Goulart Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Documentation for car and cdr Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 16:55:22 +0000 Message-ID: <873bjdmupx.fsf@gmail.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1138128235 17021 80.91.229.2 (24 Jan 2006 18:43:55 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 18:43:55 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Tue Jan 24 19:43:53 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 1F1T8Z-0003n5-Ej for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Tue, 24 Jan 2006 19:43:27 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1F1TBG-0006Cc-TZ for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Tue, 24 Jan 2006 13:46:14 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1F1T2i-0006d1-NR for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 24 Jan 2006 13:37:24 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1F1T2c-0006SJ-J7 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 24 Jan 2006 13:37:23 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1F1T2b-0006RZ-TL for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 24 Jan 2006 13:37:18 -0500 Original-Received: from [64.233.184.195] (helo=wproxy.gmail.com) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1F1T7Z-0005q1-4m for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 24 Jan 2006 13:42:25 -0500 Original-Received: by wproxy.gmail.com with SMTP id i23so1865122wra for ; Tue, 24 Jan 2006 10:34:29 -0800 (PST) DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; s=beta; d=gmail.com; h=received:to:subject:from:date:message-id:user-agent:mime-version:content-type; b=SFKXonpBdQU5WwDj+wVI4IfZ7pUviKH4ZxzbV/8+CFzi9O0zNyq1k/dJ+BD3Fne9S4k56ufhjhijOl8vyfPDGEL6aMhmkusll+dS4ef6bSp1gYfEVACgxjyURrj/HYzfFNwm83+CK2xESGBNbjUrE1dQ7XMhInwUI67SU9Qs2Ok= Original-Received: by 10.64.47.7 with SMTP id u7mr677757qbu; Tue, 24 Jan 2006 10:34:28 -0800 (PST) Original-Received: from nachos.gmail.com ( [200.175.64.146]) by mx.gmail.com with ESMTP id a29sm883260qbd.2006.01.24.10.34.27; Tue, 24 Jan 2006 10:34:28 -0800 (PST) Original-To: emacs-devel@gnu.org User-Agent: Gnus/5.11 (Gnus v5.11) Emacs/22.0.50 (gnu/linux) 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:49494 Archived-At: Hello, Currently, the documentation for cdr is: ,----[ M-x describe-function cdr ] | cdr is a built-in function in `C source code'. | (cdr list) | | Return the cdr of list. If arg is nil, return nil. | Error if arg is not nil and not a cons cell. See also `cdr-safe'. `---- And, for car, is: ,----[ M-x describe-function car ] | car is a built-in function in `C source code'. | (car list) | | Return the car of list. If arg is nil, return nil. | Error if arg is not nil and not a cons cell. See also `car-safe'. `---- Saying "car returns the car" and "cdr returns the cdr" doesn't sound very useful for me if I would like to know what car and cdr do, unless I knew what "car" and "cdr" mean (then I wouldn't check the documentation). :-) Wouldn't it be better to write something like "Return the first element of list" and "Return a list containing all but the first element of list" for car and cdr, respectively? I found this little "issue" when I was trying to show a friend of mine the self-documenting features of Emacs: "If you don't know what car means, for example, you can always check the documentation, so you can find out that car... returns the car of a list...". :-) Maybe he thought lists can drive. :-) Best wishes, Mario