Re: Newbie Questions

[Shannon V Spires <svspire@somnet.sandia.gov>]

Ken Tilton writes:

> That was a good call. After decades of programming between us we feel like
> kids in a candy shop with CL, and we know we have not even seen the half of
> it. Every time we look at each other's code we say to each other, "Why
> aren't you using #'xyz." "#'xyz?! Lisp has that?!"
> 
> So brace yourselves, an occasional boner of a question is going to slip
> through our Steele mesh :).
> 
> BTW, what's this "car" and "cdr" I see all over the place?

Keep asking questions Ken. And just ignore the jerks. Most of us love
answering newbie questions, especially the ones with short answers,
and especially to questioners who are switching away from (horrors!)
C++, because it gives us a chance to prosetylize for Lisp.
Plus it keeps us on our toes. Common Lisp is so big there is
_nobody_ (except may Guy himself) who knows all its intricacies in
detail, so newbie questions sometimes can teach us veterans something
new.

Car: Contents of address register, or something you drive.
Cdr: Contents of decrement register. Pronounced "coulder" as in
     "I Cdr had a V-8. In my Car, instead of an Atom."

-- 
Shannon Spires
svspire@sandia.gov

"We don't need no stinking 'first' and 'rest'."