MVLet hair, and RPG's suggestion

[Jon L White <JONL at MIT-MC>]

    Date: 19 Jan 1982 1551-PST
    From: Dick Gabriel <RPG at SU-AI>
    To:   common-lisp at SU-AI
    I would like to make the following suggestion regarding the
    strategy for designing Common Lisp. . . .
    We should separate the kernel from the Lisp based portions of the system
    and design the kernel first. Lambda-grovelling, multiple values,
    and basic data structures seem kernel.
    The reason that we should do this is so that the many man-years of effort
    to immplement a Common Lisp can be done in parallel with the design of
    less critical things.
I'm sure it will be impossible to agree completely on a "kernel", but
some approach like this *must* be taken, or there'll never be any code
written in Common-Lisp at all, much less the code which implements the
various features.  Regarding hairy forms of Multiple-value things,
I believe I voted to have both forms, because the current LISPM set
is generally useful, even if not completely parallel with Multiple-argument
syntax; also it is small enough and useful enough to "put it in right now"
and strive for the hairy versions at a later time.
  Couldn't we go on record at least as favoring the style which permits
the duality of concept (i.e., whatever syntax works for receiving multiple
arguments also works for receiving multiple values), but noting that
we can't guarantee anything more that the several LISPM functions for
the next three years?  I'd sure hate to see this become an eclectic
kitchen sink merely because the 5-10 people who will  be involved in
Common-Lisp compiler-writing didn't want to take the day or so apiece
over the next three years to write the value side of the value/argument
receiving code.