Subject: Re: data hygiene [Re: Why is Scheme not a Lisp?] From: Erik Naggum <erik@naggum.net> Date: Tue, 19 Mar 2002 22:38:29 GMT Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp Message-ID: <3225566321428508@naggum.net> * Paul Dietz | Load latency could be a bigger problem running down the plist; you have a | chain of 2N cons cells to follow. In the alist, you need only follow a | chain of N cons cells (you also need to load the cars of these cells, but | that's off the critical path.) In traversing plists, you have to get the car to compare, and then two cdrs to move forward, but in alists, you have to get the car of the car to compare, and then one cdr to move forward. I am fuzzy on how this is so different. Could you explain? /// -- In a fight against something, the fight has value, victory has none. In a fight for something, the fight is a loss, victory merely relief.