On Sun, Sep 18, 2011 at 11:41 AM, Matthias Felleisen <matth...@ccs.neu.edu> wrote: > > Mr Noob: if (1 2 3) is a value, why can't I compute (car (1 2 3)). 4 is a > value and I can compute (+ 4 3). #t is a value and I can compute (not #t). > Why do you insist that I cannot compute with (1 2 3) if it is a value?
Maybe RacketNoob can start by doing this: "In the bottom left hand of the screen in DrRacket click the "Choose Language" dropdown, "Use the language declared in source" should be selected on the left. On the right you can choose the "Output Syntax". If you change it to "write" then it will look how you want." And then we can point him at some good things to read that will help him make sense of all the good points and advice everyone has shared. Perhaps: Racket reader documentation, quote documentation, Scheme standard? That is how I learned. I loved this passage from the R6RS spec: ``It is important to distinguish between the mathematical numbers, the Scheme objects that attempt to model them, the machine representations used to implement the numbers, and notations used to write numbers.'' _________________________________________________ For list-related administrative tasks: http://lists.racket-lang.org/listinfo/users
