JargonFile/entries/NIL.txt
2014-04-26 16:54:15 +01:00

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NIL
/nil/ No. Used in reply to a question, particularly one asked using the -P
convention. Most hackers assume this derives simply from LISP terminology
for false (see also T ), but NIL as a negative reply was well-established
among radio hams decades before the advent of LISP. The historical
connection between early hackerdom and the ham radio world was strong enough
that this may have been an influence.