From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Oliver Scholz Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: What does the coding system nil mean? Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2004 16:22:03 +0100 Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: deer.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1075217992 1293 80.91.224.253 (27 Jan 2004 15:39:52 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2004 15:39:52 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Tue Jan 27 16:39:49 2004 Return-path: Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by deer.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1AlVJc-0006OL-00 for ; Tue, 27 Jan 2004 16:39:48 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.24) id 1AlVEO-0007Ar-D9 for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Tue, 27 Jan 2004 10:34:24 -0500 Original-Path: shelby.stanford.edu!newsfeed.stanford.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news2.telebyte.nl!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!dialin-145-254-136-252.arcor-ip.NET!not-for-mail Original-Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.help Original-Lines: 22 Original-NNTP-Posting-Host: dialin-145-254-136-252.arcor-ip.net (145.254.136.252) Original-X-Trace: news.uni-berlin.de 1075216965 22137487 145.254.136.252 ([87814]) X-Attribution: os X-Face: "HgH2sgK|bfH$; PiOJI6|qUCf.ve<51_Od(%ynHr?=>znn#~#oS>",F%B8&\vus),2AsPYb -n>PgddtGEn}s7kH?7kH{P_~vu?]OvVN^qD(L)>G^gDCl(U9n{:d>'DkilN!_K"eNzjrtI4Ya6; Td% IZGMbJ{lawG+'J>QXPZD&TwWU@^~A}f^zAb[Ru;CT(UA]c& User-Agent: Gnus/5.1002 (Gnus v5.10.2) Emacs/22.0.0 (windows-nt) Cancel-Lock: sha1:w6XDscKuw57CgMKtcCsxScKOdTnDj8Ojw6sUwodeRQ== Original-Xref: shelby.stanford.edu gnu.emacs.help:120468 Original-To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.2 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:16414 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.help:16414 Stefan Monnier writes: [...] > Given the fact that the only empty list is nil, I don't find it too odd. > As a former Schemer, I'd agree that it would make sense to introduce a real > empty list constant and stop overloading the meaning of nil, but it's > unlikely to happen. [...] I am aware that this topic is a bit delicate; but I always have been curious and asking in either comp.lang.list or comp.lang.scheme would probably mistakenly regarded as flame bait. But I'd like to get an answer sine ira et studio: Is this a matter of taste or does nil belonging to multiple data types cause problems somewhere (debugging programs, compiler/intepreter construction, whatever)? Oliver -- 8 Pluviôse an 212 de la Révolution Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité!