Re: intern

[NGALL@G.BBN.COM]

    Date: Wed, 5 Feb 86 13:03:36 pst
    From: hpfclp!diamant@hplabs.ARPA
    To: hplabs!common-lisp@su-ai.ARPA
    Subject: intern
    
    On page 172 of CLtL, the verb "intern" is defined.  It is stated that one
    action performed is setting the home package of a symbol which doesn't already
    have one.  My question is: does INTERN (the function) always "intern" (the
    verb).  Also, are there any other functions which "intern," such as import,
    for instance.  Specificially, should INTERN set the home package of an
    uninterned symbol?
    
I asked this question a while back (too bad the archives are so hard
to access!).  My impression was that there was a consensus that IMPORT
is the function that is responsible for "updating" the package-slot of
an uninterned symbol (since IMPORT is the only function that can put a
SYMBOL in a package).

Guy Steele sent out a list of proposed "clarifications" a few months
ago (also in the archives).  The clarification for IMPORT was: "If
symbol has no owner, its package cell is updated."

	-- Nick