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From: jay@wiley.uucp (Jay Nelson)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
Subject: Re: Terminology and style (was Re: Question about INTERN)
Message-ID: <27B8222F.3C70@wilbur.coyote.trw.com>
Date: 12 Feb 91 17:13:18 GMT
References: <1991Jan29.055536.1523@magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu> <5783@idunno.Princeton.EDU> <4037@skye.ed.ac.uk> <1991Jan30.225106.26561@Think.COM> <4092@skye.ed.ac.uk>
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Reply-To: jay@wiley.UUCP (Jay Nelson)
Organization: TRW Inc., Redondo Beach, CA
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In article <4092@skye.ed.ac.uk> jeff@aiai.UUCP (Jeff Dalton) writes:

>In article <1991Jan30.225106.26561@Think.COM> barmar@think.com (Barry Margolin) writes:
>> ... (again, seeing the more general operator forces the
>>reader to stop and think...

>My question is this: is it really the case that CAR and CDR are
>normally replaced by FIRST and REST in current programming practice?
>How about COND, for which the claim has also been made?

My preference is always to use the operator which conveys the intent
of the code.  When dealing with lists, I use FIRST and REST.  If for
some reason I am using a cons cell, I use CAR and CDR.

I don't understand the comment about COND.  I use WHEN and UNLESS for
single case instances, IF when I want two outcomes, and COND when a
sequential set of conditions must be evaluated that doesn't fit the CASE
construct.




Jay Nelson  (TRW)  jay@wilbur.coyote.trw.com