From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Kelly Dean Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Elisp terminology (was: Re: [PATCH] Desktop mode saves mark-ring too verbosely) Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 23:30:11 +0000 Message-ID: References: <87r3ukub8u.fsf@uwakimon.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp> NNTP-Posting-Host: plane.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1422142289 9550 80.91.229.3 (24 Jan 2015 23:31:29 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 23:31:29 +0000 (UTC) Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org To: "Stephen J. Turnbull" Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sun Jan 25 00:31:28 2015 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([208.118.235.17]) by plane.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1YFAAp-0007Ig-QY for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sun, 25 Jan 2015 00:31:27 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:36384 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1YFAAp-0007vl-2U for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sat, 24 Jan 2015 18:31:27 -0500 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:46501) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1YFAAl-0007ua-MC for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 24 Jan 2015 18:31:24 -0500 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1YFAAi-0005QZ-BF for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 24 Jan 2015 18:31:23 -0500 Original-Received: from relay3-d.mail.gandi.net ([2001:4b98:c:538::195]:38442) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1YFAAi-0005QH-5L for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 24 Jan 2015 18:31:20 -0500 Original-Received: from mfilter4-d.gandi.net (mfilter4-d.gandi.net [217.70.178.134]) by relay3-d.mail.gandi.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5E0A0A80AB; Sun, 25 Jan 2015 00:31:19 +0100 (CET) X-Virus-Scanned: Debian amavisd-new at mfilter4-d.gandi.net Original-Received: from relay3-d.mail.gandi.net ([217.70.183.195]) by mfilter4-d.gandi.net (mfilter4-d.gandi.net [10.0.15.180]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id VVJti6Nn+Xn4; Sun, 25 Jan 2015 00:31:17 +0100 (CET) X-Originating-IP: 66.220.3.179 Original-Received: from localhost (gm179.geneticmail.com [66.220.3.179]) (Authenticated sender: kelly@prtime.org) by relay3-d.mail.gandi.net (Postfix) with ESMTPSA id 3C159A80AF; Sun, 25 Jan 2015 00:31:14 +0100 (CET) In-Reply-To: <87r3ukub8u.fsf@uwakimon.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp> X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: Error: Malformed IPv6 address (bad octet value). X-Received-From: 2001:4b98:c:538::195 X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:181734 Archived-At: Stephen J. Turnbull wrote: >> will need to understand or modify, so using a technical >> abbreviation isn't a problem. Emacs already has abbreviated names >> such as =E2=8C=9Cfboundp=E2=8C=9D and =E2=8C=9Cfmakunbound=E2=8C=9D fo= r programmer-only things, >> instead of =E2=8C=9Cfunction-bound-predicate=E2=8C=9D and =E2=8C=9Cfun= ction-make-unbound=E2=8C=9D. > > And the recent trend is to deprecate such ancient usage, including the > venerable `car', `cdr', and `cons'. Look what happened when I proposed changing the names of set-default, set= q-default, and default-value. They're misleading, but you and Eli say the= y're too old to change. IOW, bugs with seniority are features. The names of car and cdr are even older. And they're not misleading; they= 're just archaic. There's both less need and less ability to change them = than there is to change the former three. And yes, the abbreviations =E2=8C=9Ccons=E2=8C=9D, =E2=8C=9Cfboundp=E2=8C= =9D, and =E2=8C=9Cfmakunbound=E2=8C=9D are old, but they're neither misle= ading nor archaic. I'm a good benchmark, since I'm easily fooled by misle= ading names and I have bad memory, yet these names don't cause me problem= s.