compile-time actions & top-level forms (long)

[Ram@C.CS.CMU.EDU]

    Date: Friday, 9 October 1987  09:43-EDT
    From: Robert W. Kerns <RWK at YUKON.SCRC.Symbolics.COM>
    To:   Sandra J Loosemore <sandra%orion at cs.utah.edu>
    cc:   common-lisp at sail.stanford.edu
    Re:   compile-time actions & top-level forms (long)

        Date: Thu, 8 Oct 87 11:27:49 MDT
        From: sandra%orion@cs.utah.edu (Sandra J Loosemore)
    This is pretty good.  I have a general comment, and a few specifics.

    General comment: Those forms which affect the compilation
    environment should not be *required* to leave that effect behind
    when the compilation is finished.  [...] I think it is best if the
    compilation is not defined to affect the environment,

I agree with this.

    [...] and you should be required to load the file before compiling
    the next if you want macro definitions to be visible in the next
    file, portably.

I don't exactly agree with this.  I don't think that you should assume
that the COMPILE-FILE environment necessarily has anything in common
with the environment seen by the user REP loop.  This means that doing
a LOAD may not make definitions available to a following COMPILE-FILE.
This is what REQUIRE is for.

[I also agree with the other remarks made by RWK...]

  Rob