Update docs and NEWS for HyCons removal

NEWS.rst

@@ -3,6 +3,12 @@
 Unreleased
 ==============================
 
+Removals
+------------------------------
+* Dotted lists, `HyCons`, `cons`, `cons?`, and `list*` have been removed.
+  These were redundant with Python's built-in data structures and Hy's most
+  common model types (`HyExpression`, `HyList`, etc.).
+
 Other Breaking Changes
 ------------------------------
 * Mangling rules have been overhauled, such that mangled names

docs/language/core.rst

@@ -98,49 +98,6 @@ inverted. So, ``((complement f) x)`` is equivalent to ``(not (f x))``.
    True
 
 
-cons
-----
-
-.. versionadded:: 0.10.0
-
-Usage: ``(cons a b)``
-
-Returns a fresh :ref:`cons cell <hycons>` with car *a* and cdr *b*.
-
-.. code-block:: hy
-
-   => (setv a (cons 'hd 'tl))
-
-   => (= 'hd (get a 0))
-   True
-
-   => (= 'tl (cut a 1))
-   True
-
-
-cons?
------
-
-.. versionadded:: 0.10.0
-
-Usage: ``(cons? foo)``
-
-Checks whether *foo* is a :ref:`cons cell <hycons>`.
-
-.. code-block:: hy
-
-   => (setv a (cons 'hd 'tl))
-
-   => (cons? a)
-   True
-
-   => (cons? None)
-   False
-
-   => (cons? [1 2 3])
-   False
-
-
 .. _constantly:
 
 constantly
@@ -606,41 +563,6 @@ Check whether *foo* is a :ref:`keyword<HyKeyword>`.
    => (keyword? foo)
    False
 
-.. _list*-fn:
-
-list*
------
-
-Usage: ``(list* head &rest tail)``
-
-Generates a chain of nested cons cells (a dotted list) containing the
-arguments. If the argument list only has one element, return it.
-
-.. code-block:: hy
-
-    => (list* 1 2 3 4)
-    <HyCons (
-      HyInteger(1)
-      HyInteger(2)
-      HyInteger(3)
-    . HyInteger(4))>
-    => (list* 1 2 3 [4])
-    [HyInteger(1), HyInteger(2), HyInteger(3), 4]
-    => (list* 1)
-    1
-    => (cons? (list* 1 2 3 4))
-    True
-    => (list* 1 10  2 20 '{})
-    HyDict([
-      HyInteger(1), HyInteger(10),
-      HyInteger(2), HyInteger(20)])
-    => (list* 1 10  2 20 {})
-    <HyCons (
-      HyInteger(1)
-      HyInteger(10)
-      HyInteger(2)
-      HyInteger(20)
-    . HyDict())>
 
 .. _macroexpand-fn:
 

docs/language/internals.rst

@@ -168,39 +168,6 @@ HyKeyword
 ``hy.models.HyKeyword`` represents keywords in Hy. Keywords are
 symbols starting with a ``:``. See :ref:`syntax-keywords`.
 
-.. _hycons:
-
-Cons Cells
-==========
-
-``hy.models.HyCons`` is a representation of Python-friendly `cons
-cells`_.  Cons cells are especially useful to mimic features of "usual"
-LISP variants such as Scheme or Common Lisp.
-
-.. _cons cells: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cons
-
-A cons cell is a 2-item object, containing a ``car`` (head) and a
-``cdr`` (tail). In some Lisp variants, the cons cell is the fundamental
-building block, and S-expressions are actually represented as linked
-lists of cons cells. This is not the case in Hy, as the usual
-expressions are made of Python lists wrapped in a
-``HyExpression``. However, the ``HyCons`` mimics the behavior of
-"usual" Lisp variants thusly:
-
- - ``(cons something None)`` is ``(HyExpression [something])``
- - ``(cons something some-list)`` is ``((type some-list) (+ [something]
-   some-list))`` (if ``some-list`` inherits from ``list``).
- - ``(get (cons a b) 0)`` is ``a``
- - ``(cut (cons a b) 1)`` is ``b``
-
-Hy supports a dotted-list syntax, where ``'(a . b)`` means ``(cons 'a
-'b)`` and ``'(a b . c)`` means ``(cons 'a (cons 'b 'c))``. If the
-compiler encounters a cons cell at the top level, it raises a
-compilation error.
-
-``HyCons`` wraps the passed arguments (car and cdr) in Hy types, to ease
-the manipulation of cons cells in a macro context.
-
 Hy Internal Theory
 ==================