Re: using setq to create lists based on other lists...

[Barry Margolin]

In article <mailman.5218.1544021892.1284.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>,
 Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com> wrote:

> > > Lisp is typically not a Lisp learner's first language.
> > 
> > Emacs could (and is) used by first learners and ...
> > the Introduction could be used as a Lisp manual for
> > such people.
> 
> Yes, of course.
> 
> The point is that someone coming to Lisp from another
> language, especially (and typically) from a language
> where variables are essentially local & lexical, may
> have a harder time "getting it" than someone learning
> programming with Lisp as her first language.
> 
> Things like list structure (including, yes, sharing
> structure), symbols (named objects with properties),
> dynamic scope/binding, `setq' (which can act on both
> global & local vars), and even REPL/interpretation
> can seem quite odd if you come to Lisp with only C
> or Java or ... eyes.

If you come to it from Java, JavaScript, or Python it actually shouldn't 
be that hard; they all pass data as references to structures. C and C++ 
are the only popular languages with explicit pointers. PHP is in between 
-- arrays are copied, but objects are not.

-- 
Barry Margolin, barmar@alum.mit.edu
Arlington, MA
*** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me ***