Re: Some other open issues

[Jim Kempf <kempf%hplabsc@hplabs.HP.COM>]

I agree with Gregor about the portable code walker interface not
being necessary for the deadline, however, I would like to point
out that it may be desirable to press the issue of a symbol macro
special form for Common Lisp.

The reason I mention this is because some recent profiling results
I have from PCL indicate that the code walker is in the top two
or three slowest functions called during method generation. Addition of
a symbol macro special form (called LET-PSEUDO in our system)
would allow the compiler to take care of substituting the proper
form for slot access when a WITH is processed. So proper resolution
of this issue may impact the efficiency of method generation in
Classes, as well as the potential for extention using the metaclass
protocol.

Obviously, this issue need not be resolved until more important
semantic issues are.

		Jim Kempf	kempf@hplabs.hp.com