PCL/Symbolics Problem

[JACKSON%NRCCIT.NRC.CA@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu]

        Dear PCL Gods/Goddesses:

          Good day, this is Dick Jackson from the National Research
        Council of Canada in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with a few points to
        raise regarding a release of PCL (8-28-88).  I've been most happy
        with how this release worked with Allegro CL on the Macintosh,
        and more recently, I've tried to get it moving on VAX Lisp and on
        our Symbolics.  I won't press the issue regarding the VAX, as
        your 'notes.txt' gave no promise that it would work there.
        However, I might ask your indulgence concerning the Symbolics
        version.  Again, the notes said it worked fine on Symbolics 7.2,
        and we're running 7.1, so if you wish to wash your hands of my
        problem right now, I'll understand.

          The story so far...
          - succeeded in loading "defsys.lisp"
          - called (pcl::compile-pcl)
          - several files successfully compiled, with minor warnings
          - message generated by PCL:
            "Iterate operator in clause NIL is not fboundp"
          - Lisp error message:
            "Trap: the first argument given to ZL:AR-1 instruction,
             #<LEXICAL-CLOSURE..... >, was not an array.
             While compiling MAKE-PARAMETER-REFERENCES"
          - a backtrace provided the following:
            EVERY
            LOOP
            SI:MACROEXPAND-1-INTERNAL
            MACROEXPAND-1
            WALKER::WALK-FROM-INTERNAL
            ...
            (PCL::COMPILE-PCL)

          I can only wish that someone has run into this before, and I'd
        much appreciate any help you can offer me.  I've looked through
        several parts of the code, without being able to trace it much
        more than: the root of the problem is the Iterate macro-call,
        which is inside the Gathering call in the
        MAKE-PARAMETER-REFERENCES defun in file BOOT.lisp

          Thanks very much for your time, and I hope to hear from you
        soon.  Please reach me on BITNET at

             jackson@nrccit.nrc.ca

          Sincerely,

          -Dick


        P.S.: If you don't mind a personal question, what is Xerox's
        motivation to produce (and maintain) PCL?  I can only be amazed
        at the amount of work that goes into it, and wonder what return
        Xerox gets on this investment.  Keep it up, it's an excellent
        system!