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From: HiPhish <hiphish@posteo.de>
To: Mark H Weaver <mhw@netris.org>
Cc: guile-user@gnu.org
Subject: Re: A value for "nothing"
Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2018 10:40:05 +0200	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <15511073.3h7x93ioX3@aleksandar-ixtreme-m5740> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <87ftz0vidc.fsf@netris.org>

I think I understand: it just so happens that `(if #f #f)` evaluates to 
`#<unspecified>`, but it would still be valid if it evaluated to 5 or 
"roflcopter".

> "The return value of a function that returns nothing" is a
> self-contradictory notion, if you think about it :)
I was under the impression that in Lisp any S-expression evaluates to 
*something*, even if that something is some junk value or "nothing".
 
> I would suggest using a symbol.  How about 'nil?
I was considering the possibility of serialising symbols as strings, but then 
'nil would be indistinguishable from the string "nil". The more I think about, 
the more a singleton instance of a custom record makes sense.







  parent reply	other threads:[~2018-08-27  8:40 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 42+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2018-08-26 10:13 A value for "nothing" HiPhish
2018-08-26 17:21 ` Thomas Morley
2018-08-26 17:27 ` Joshua Branson
2018-08-26 17:49 ` John Cowan
2018-08-27  4:52   ` Mark H Weaver
2018-08-27 13:00     ` John Cowan
2018-08-27 21:29       ` Mark H Weaver
2018-08-27 21:32       ` Mark H Weaver
2018-08-26 20:07 ` Mark H Weaver
2018-08-26 22:08   ` Matt Wette
2018-08-27  8:04   ` tomas
2018-08-27 20:12     ` Mark H Weaver
2018-08-27 20:46       ` Mark H Weaver
2018-08-28  0:50         ` Matt Wette
2018-08-28  6:58           ` Mark H Weaver
2018-08-28 15:19             ` John Cowan
2018-08-28 15:38               ` Mark H Weaver
2018-08-28 15:59                 ` Mark H Weaver
2018-08-28 16:12                 ` John Cowan
2018-08-28 17:15                   ` Mark H Weaver
2018-08-28 19:07                   ` Mark H Weaver
2018-08-27 20:54       ` Hans Åberg
2018-08-27  0:17 ` Panicz Maciej Godek
2018-08-27  8:02   ` tomas
2018-08-27  8:29     ` Panicz Maciej Godek
2018-08-27  8:29   ` HiPhish
     [not found] ` <8840615.kRvQfVdCvZ@aleksandar-ixtreme-m5740>
     [not found]   ` <CAD2gp_QLqd=_RbF=HTEbCLp1onmUq-c74g0FXTvMgdz8JB4-8A@mail.gmail.com>
2018-08-27  8:24     ` HiPhish
     [not found] ` <3467110.H24gZIzStD@aleksandar-ixtreme-m5740>
     [not found]   ` <87ftz0vidc.fsf@netris.org>
2018-08-27  8:40     ` HiPhish [this message]
2018-08-27 12:37       ` Ludovic Courtès
2018-08-27 19:49         ` Mark H Weaver
2018-08-28  7:52           ` Ludovic Courtès
  -- strict thread matches above, loose matches on Subject: below --
2018-08-26 20:25 HiPhish
2018-09-13 21:49 HiPhish
     [not found] ` <CAD2gp_Sg-aDXZKfOcL-i2py7ne4c0Cp+2HvKS4DYi1Antm_B1A@mail.gmail.com>
2018-09-14 22:45   ` HiPhish
2018-09-15  0:26     ` John Cowan
2018-09-15 14:50       ` HiPhish
2018-09-15 18:28         ` Keith Wright
2018-09-15 21:50           ` Edwin Watkeys
2018-09-15 22:16             ` HiPhish
2018-09-15 22:23               ` Edwin Watkeys
2018-09-15 22:13           ` HiPhish
2018-09-15 22:45       ` David Pirotte

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