Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!ukc!canon!imlah
From: imlah@canon.co.uk (Bill Imlah)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.prolog
Subject: Fallibility of the sane
Message-ID: <1991Apr26.081315.18922@canon.co.uk>
Date: 26 Apr 91 08:13:15 GMT
References: <EIVERSON.91Apr19200202@aigyptos.nmsu.edu> <5384@goanna.cs.rmit.oz.au>
Distribution: comp
Organization: Kenny's Fish Bar (Turbot with a Smile)
Lines: 20

ok@goanna.cs.rmit.oz.au (Richard A. O'Keefe) writes:

>Why in the name of sanity are
>you abusing the word "functor" (which means a pair consisting of a
>function symbol and an arity, e.g. fred/2) when you mean "term"?

Surely its an common mistake.  Mostly people coming to
grips with Prolog don't play around with terms enough 
for the distinction to become salient.

--------------------------------------------------------
Bill Imlah                             imlah@canon.co.uk
Natural Language Group
Canon Research Centre Europe,  17/20 Frederick Sanger Rd.
The Surrey Research Park, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 5YD, UK.

 -- "When I use a word", Humpty Dumpty said in a rather 
    scornful tone,"it means just what I choose it to
    mean - neither more nor less"
                     -- Alice through the Looking Glass