Argument lists

[Jonathan A Rees <JAR@AI.AI.MIT.EDU>]

    Date: Tue, 24 Jun 86 16:19 EDT
    From: David C. Plummer <DCP at QUABBIN.SCRC.Symbolics.COM>

    If CL does not come to require number of argument checking, I guess its
    time to require *RSET to fill the gap.  Seriously.  Programmers should
    be allowed to say "I want number of arguments checking, damn it" if the
    system doesn't automatically provide that.

    [After all, if you don't want number of argument checking, you can just
    code your lambda list beginning with &optional and ending with &rest
    ignore.]

Sorry, I really don't understand your point.  My point was NOT to take
a stand on whether or not checking was desirable; all I wanted to say
was that wrong-number-of-arguments is in the same class of error
situations as CAR of a symbol or out-of-nounds AREF.  So if you think
CL must have *RSET-like switches controlling what happens when a wrong
number of arguments is passed [I don't think it should], it follows
that CL must also have *RSET-like things controlling what happens when
CAR of a symbol is taken.  If you believe that wrong number of
arguments must signal an error [I don't think that should be dictated
either], then for consistency so must CAR of a symbol.

Jonathan