Re: Bad ideas

[PSZ@MIT-ML]

CC: (BUG LISP) at MIT-ML, (BUG LISPM) at MIT-ML, GJC at MIT-ML
My a priori belief shows through in my phrasing, but I am by no means immune
to a good argument.  I was really just expressing a desire for some consensus
on it before it gets installed and I begin to see (dread the thought) things
like my perfectly reasonable
	(setq space 3000)
turn behind my back into
	(setq 40 3000),
as I think it likely that such "expanding constants" will be one plausible use
of the facility you are planning.  Please note that I am not yet prepared to
argue the details (e.g., whether expansion should happen in quoted contexts,
implicitly quoted contexts, whether it should be lexically or dynamically
specified, or any such meaty issues).  I am still searching for a good case
to be made for the fundamental idea.  Although I have at times had cravings for
just such a feature, some reflection has so-far dissuaded me (like some
cravings for giant anchovy pizzas).  Someone please step forward and
demonstrate a program in which having this feature is a big win, outweighing
the disadvantage of further weakening the transparency of Lisp.