[plt-scheme] The historical role/value of set-car! and set-cdr!

On Sat, Jan 26, 2008 at 06:42:58PM -0500, Matt Jadud wrote:
> On Jan 26, 2008 6:32 PM, Grant Rettke <grettke at acm.org> wrote:
> > Historically, though, they must have been there for some really good reason?
> >
> > What was that reason?
> 
> How else could you set the contents of the address register (CAR) and
> decrement register (CDR) on an IBM 704?

Actually, they were called rplaca and rplacd back then.  I'm an 
old-timer that actually used them by that name.  I also once pored 
through the assembly listing of that ancient Lisp system.  I've always 
been amazed at people that could write huge assembly-language programs 
and get them working.

-- hendrik
> I wonder if you can find an IBM 704, 705, 709, or 7090 on eBay?
> 
> Nope.
> 
> Ah well.

If you did, you might not be able to afford the power supply.

-- hendrik