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by costigan
1272 days ago
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> NIL is an empty list.... It isn't. It has none of the mechanics of an empty list in Python etc. I can see how NIL is confusing when coming from Python, but I think this comment has it backwards. The idea of lists as chains or trees of pointers with a distinguished termination value predates LISP by a few years. Moreover, this kind of list predates Python's use of the term by more than 35 years. If you treat lists as just a particularly useful subclass of trees of CONS cells, then they and NIL make perfect sense. Python's lists are fine too, they're just a different kind of thing. |
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