generic-function special form

[Patrick H Dussud <DUSSUD@Jenner.csc.ti.com>]

     Date: Fri, 29 Apr 88 14:25 PDT
     From: Gregor.pa@XEROX.COM
     Subject: generic-function special form
     
     One of the comments we received was:
     
         Date: Fri, 15 Apr 88 13:43 PDT
         From: David N Gray <Gray@DSG.csc.ti.com>
     
         It is not apparent why GENERIC-FUNCTION needs to be a special form
         instead of a macro.
     
     Gregor said:
     
     Because Common Lisp doesn't have lambda macros.
     
     
     Moon said:
     
     No, that's wrong, because GENERIC-FUNCTION is not something that can be
     used inside the FUNCTION special form.  In other words, GENERIC-FUNCTION
     evaluates, it doesn't efunctuate.  As far as I can see GENERIC-FUNCTION
     could be a macro that expands into MAKE-INSTANCE <generic-function-class>
     and a bunch of initargs including some that are forms that construct methods.
     I think Gray is right on this one and it's a mistake in the document.
     We should check with RPG, who proposed this.
     
     Gregor said:
     
     I am surprised to here that generic-function cannot be used inside the
     function special form.  It doesn't say that in the documentation, and
     since the method bodies are supplied as forms, I think this must
     efunctuate.  It must capture the lexical scope it was used in or else
     what is it worth?
     
     What do others think?
     ------- 
I think that a macro will work. A macro can return a form that capture
the lexical environment if it contains lambda forms.


Patrick.