Re: PUSH

[Chris Riesbeck <Riesbeck at YALE>]

    For what it's worth, it took me quite a long time to get the current
    argument order of push right.  All the people who have spoken up on the
    side of the old (push new-thing list) order have "intuitions" that have
    been shaped by long use of current lisps.  Ask yourselves, "Would they
    be as strong if I were a brand new lisper?"  Brand new lispers will choose
    consitency since it means there is less for them to learn.

1) It's impossible for anyone to tell what they would have done
   if they didn't already know something -- I THINK I would still take
   English order (PUSH X against Y), but only a real experiment would
   tell.

2) There are unlikely to be any brand new Lispers starting on T for
   some time - it'll be too shakey a system for that

3) When they do, brand new Lispers won't know what counts as consistent
   - that comes when one has working familiarity with a large number
   of functions - I've taught several courses of Lisp for the first
   time (no previous programming) and no matter how many times you
   tell them the most consistent rule Lisp has, namely (A B C ...) means
   A is a function applied to the arguments B, C ..., they have to learn
   it for themselves

4) I still say, use another name and make everyone minimally happy.
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