[r6rs-discuss] set-car!

From: Alan Watson <alan>
Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2007 15:49:19 -0500

Eli Barzilay wrote:
>> That something is ironic does not mean that it is bad.
>
> Right, but saying that "irony [is] of the guiding principles of the
> R6RS" is.

Irony often refers to saying the opposite of what you mean for dramatic
effect. It can refer to incongruity between expectations and outcomes.

When I asked, "is irony a guiding principle", my words were ironic in
the first sense. I apologize if that offended anyone.

However, the irony to which I referred was in the second sense, in that
  the proposed solution to one problem eliminated a possible solution to
another problem. In other words, Eli Barzilay might well be happy that
the draft R6RS forbids redefinitions, but Carl Eastlund might not be
happy that, because of this, he cannot guarantee that pairs will not be
mutated in a program.

This is not to say that the Editors are wrong, but it is a legitimate
topic for debate.

Regards,

Alan
Received on Mon Jun 25 2007 - 16:49:19 UTC