From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: storm@cua.dk (Kim F. Storm) Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Documentation for car and cdr Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 23:51:38 +0100 Message-ID: References: <200601252211.k0PMB3618664@raven.dms.auburn.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1138229609 7783 80.91.229.2 (25 Jan 2006 22:53:29 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 22:53:29 +0000 (UTC) Cc: acm@muc.de, mario.goulart@gmail.com, emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Wed Jan 25 23:53:25 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 1F1tVp-0006gQ-QZ for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Wed, 25 Jan 2006 23:53:16 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1F1tYb-0001nC-35 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Wed, 25 Jan 2006 17:56:05 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1F1tYH-0001jS-7U for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 25 Jan 2006 17:55:45 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1F1tYB-0001gB-8d for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 25 Jan 2006 17:55:44 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1F1tYB-0001g6-3Q for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 25 Jan 2006 17:55:39 -0500 Original-Received: from [195.41.46.237] (helo=pfepc.post.tele.dk) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.52) id 1F1tVd-0003WS-LT for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 25 Jan 2006 17:53:01 -0500 Original-Received: from kfs-l.imdomain.dk.cua.dk (0x503e2644.bynxx3.adsl-dhcp.tele.dk [80.62.38.68]) by pfepc.post.tele.dk (Postfix) with SMTP id 624D326283F; Wed, 25 Jan 2006 23:52:39 +0100 (CET) Original-To: Luc Teirlinck In-Reply-To: <200601252211.k0PMB3618664@raven.dms.auburn.edu> (Luc Teirlinck's message of "Wed, 25 Jan 2006 16:11:03 -0600 (CST)") 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:49543 Archived-At: Luc Teirlinck writes: > Describing basic concepts like car, cdr, cons cell, list and so on is > the task of manuals, not of docstrings. If somebody is not familiar > with the basic concepts, they have to read a manual, where those > concepts can be put into the proper context, _not_ individual docstrings. I fully agree, but notice that the doc strings for car and cdr say that the arg is "list". I think that part of the confusion is that a "pure" list does have a head and a tail and car==head and cdr==tail. It might better to change the arg from "list" to "cons", i.e. car is a built-in function in `C source code'. (car CONS) Return the car of cons cell CONS. If arg is nil, return nil. Error if arg is not nil and not a cons cell. See also `car-safe'. cdr is a built-in function in `C source code'. (cdr CONS) Return the cdr of cons cell CONS. If arg is nil, return nil. Error if arg is not nil and not a cons cell. See also `cdr-safe'. -- Kim F. Storm http://www.cua.dk