Re: Issue: DECLARE-TYPE-FREE (Version 1)

[Kent M Pitman <KMP@STONY-BROOK.SCRC.Symbolics.COM>]

I generally support the proposal DECLARE-TYPE-FREE:ALLOW and concur with
Moon's comments in subsequent discussion to date.

To me, the issue is really this: The programmer knows many things about
his programs. The more things he tells the compiler, the less the compiler
has to infer; in some cases, the information is invaluable because the
compiler would not be able to ever infer it. We should provide ways for
users to say things about their programs when there is a reasonable
expectation that the compiler can do something useful with the information.
It seems clear that some compiler writers want to do useful things with
the information in we're talking about letting the user provide, so I think
we should allow it.