Re: Your mail of 3 February 1981 18:37-EST

[Barry Margolin <Margolin at MIT-Multics>]

    As a result, you would write

     (DEFUN F (X Y &OPTIONAL Z (W W-DEF) (WW WW-DEF WW?) &REST GUNK &AUX (A 3))
              ...)

    as

     (DEFUN F (X Y (OPTIONAL Z) (OPTIONAL W W-DEF) (OPTIONAL WW WW-DEF WW?))
              (LET ((A 3))
                   ...))

Question: why get rid of &AUX.  I think it is useful to have all the
variables that are being used in a function in one place, the lambda
list.  Then, when I am reading a function I know exactly where to look
to find out these things.  I don't know if an &SPECIAL already exists,
but I would vote for it or (SPECIAL FOO) in this scheme. (shades of
PL/I!!)
                                        barmar