&rest args -- (declarations)

[goldman@vaxa.isi.edu]

Has consideration been given to providing at least some declaration(s) the 
programmer can make  -- e.g., 

(DEFUN FOO (&REST L) (DECLARE (DYNAMIC-EXTENT L) (READ-ONLY L)) ...)

that would effectively AUTHORIZE a compiler to perform certain
optimizations/transformations even when it could NOT otherwise PROVE the 
optimization/transformation preserved equivalence?


[At least one implementation already provides a similar declaration
for functional arguments, that authorizes the "consing" of
lexical closures on the stack.]

There is no doubt some latitude for choosing relevant declarations.  I'm
NOT proposing a particular set here in the hope that the matter has already
been given more thought by someone else.   Has it?

neil