[no subject]

[yuasa@kurims.kurims.kyoto-u.junet]

Subject: FUNCTION and MACROLET

To sum up, there are two possibilities:

[A] (MACROLET ((FOO ...)) (FUNCTION FOO)) causes an error, and
SYMBOL-FUNCTION with non-function symbol also causes an error.

[B] (MACROLET ((FOO ...)) (FUNCTION FOO)) returns some totally random object
which, when invoked as a function, will cause an error.  SYMBOL-FUNCTION
with non-function symbol also returns something not a function.

CLtL supports [B].  Also Guy's proposed clarification seems to support [B].
However, [B] forces the compiler to INVENT something not a function, and to
silently generate code that returns the something, although this something is
totally useless.  Rather, the compiler should cause an error when processing
the above MACROLET form.  I prefer [A].  As Rob said, the difference of [A]
and [B] do not matter actually.  In addition, it will be straightforward
to change an already existing implementation toward [A].  (Indeed, I think
I could do the change in five minutes for KYOTO!!)

The above discussions (and the discussions of Bob and Nick) are based on
Nick's assumption that FUNCTION with a symbol should correspond to
SYMBOL-FUNCTION in sense that a symbol as a variable corresponds
to SYMBOL-VALUE).  Is this what most people agree with?  Yes, the description
of FUNCTION in CLtL says

	...; see SYMBOL-FUNCTION.

The reader of CLtL might see the description of SYMBOL-FUNCTION.  Perhaps
he would like to say "yes, I saw it... so what?"

-- Taiichi