From: Richard M. Stallman Date: Sat, 1 Jan 2000 07:14:57 +0000 (+0000) Subject: *** empty log message *** X-Git-Tag: emacs-pretest-21.0.90~5572 X-Git-Url: http://git.eshelyaron.com/gitweb/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=3998eed0c79c6b68e94e8739fa1f1e08e8f09a69;p=emacs.git *** empty log message *** --- diff --git a/lispref/lists.texi b/lispref/lists.texi index 58b1cfe4de8..4133114c3ea 100644 --- a/lispref/lists.texi +++ b/lispref/lists.texi @@ -32,17 +32,21 @@ the whole list. Lists in Lisp are not a primitive data type; they are built up from @dfn{cons cells}. A cons cell is a data object that represents an -ordered pair. It holds, or ``refers to,'' two Lisp objects, one labeled -as the @sc{car}, and the other labeled as the @sc{cdr}. These names are -traditional; see @ref{Cons Cell Type}. @sc{cdr} is pronounced -``could-er.'' - - A list is a series of cons cells chained together, one cons cell per -element of the list. By convention, the @sc{car}s of the cons cells are -the elements of the list, and the @sc{cdr}s are used to chain the list: -the @sc{cdr} of each cons cell is the following cons cell. The @sc{cdr} -of the last cons cell is @code{nil}. This asymmetry between the -@sc{car} and the @sc{cdr} is entirely a matter of convention; at the +ordered pair. That is, it has two slots, and each slot @dfn{holds}, or +@dfn{refers to}, some Lisp object. One slot is known as the @sc{car}, +and the other is known as the @sc{cdr}. (These names are traditional; +see @ref{Cons Cell Type}.) @sc{cdr} is pronounced ``could-er.'' + + We say that ``the @sc{car} of this cons cell is'' whatever object +its @sc{car} slot currently holds, and likewise for the @sc{cdr}. + + A list is a series of cons cells ``chained together,'' so that each +cell refers to the next one. There one cons cell for each element of +the list. By convention, the @sc{car}s of the cons cells hold the +elements of the list, and the @sc{cdr}s are used to chain the list: the +@sc{cdr} slot of each cons cell refers to the following cons cell. The +@sc{cdr} of the last cons cell is @code{nil}. This asymmetry between +the @sc{car} and the @sc{cdr} is entirely a matter of convention; at the level of cons cells, the @sc{car} and @sc{cdr} slots have the same characteristics.