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Re: [DOC] About Lisp Data Types


From: Arthur Miller
Subject: Re: [DOC] About Lisp Data Types
Date: Sun, 01 Aug 2021 15:12:12 +0200
User-agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/28.0.50 (gnu/linux)

Kevin Vigouroux via Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor
<help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org> writes:

> I think the structure of the text is a bit shaky especially for the
> convergence with the textual representation. Let's go over it again.
>
>     Throughout this manual, the phrases “the Lisp reader” and “the Lisp
>     printer” refer to those routines in Lisp that convert textual
>     representations of Lisp objects into actual Lisp objects, and vice
>     versa.  *Note Printed Representation, for more details.
>
> The first statement is confusing. Does the “Lisp reader” manage the
> textual representation in some way?

Yes. It converts the textual representation, which is the source code,
into objects in Emacs memory which can be used by Emacs when you do the
computations that code is meant to carry out. "those routines" refer to
function(s) in Emacs that convert source code into Lisp objects in
memory and vice versa. I think it is quite clear in the text.

>                                     Different meanings are mixed
> together and can no longer be differentiated

Not at all, that paragraphs is explicin on what is meant with ceratin
two phrases. I am not sure how could you make it more explicit. Compare
to a math definition: We denote set or real numbers with R. Same there.

>                                               the objects manipulated by
> Emacs Lisp, the Lisp program (read ⇆ eval), the source code (syntax).

The source code is not same as syntax. Syntax is a textual form in which
source code is written. Source code is the text specifying what computer
should do, written according to some syntatic and semantic rules. Emacs
Lisp is a name of programming language Emacs understand and which you
can use to write your own computation which Emacs executable can carry
on. The Lisp program in Emacs case, is any of such programs written in
that lanugage that you feed into Emacs, either by reading in a source
file, evaluating a bufer in Emacs, or just even just a symbolic
expression via M-: etc.

I hope it helps a bit. 




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