NIL definition
/nil/ 1. New Implementation of Lisp. A language intended to
be the successor of MacLisp. A large Lisp, implemented
mostly in VAX assembly language. A forerunner of Common
LISP.
["NIL: A Perspective", Jon L. White, MACSYMA Users' Conf Proc,
1979].
2. Network Implementation Language. Strom & Yemini, TJWRC,
IBM. Implementation of complex networking protocols in a
modular fashion.
["NIL: An Integrated Language and System for Distributed
Programming", R. Strom et al, SIGPLAN Notices 18(6):73-82
(June 1983)].
3. Empty list or False. In Lisp, the empty list (or "nil
list") is used to represent the Boolean value False. This
is possible because Lisp is not typed. True is represented
by the special atom "t".
4. Spoken in reply to a question, particularly one asked using
the "-P" convention it means "No". Most hackers assume this
derives simply from LISP, but NIL meaning "no" was
well-established among radio hams decades before LISP existed.
The historical connection between early hackerdom and the ham
radio world was strong enough that this may have been an
influence.
[Jargon File]
Nearby terms:
NII « NIKL « Niklaus Wirth « NIL » niladic » Ninety-Ninety Rule » NIOS
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