Re: Open-coding, and proliferation of function names

[Guy.Steele at CMU-10A]

Maybe I don't remember the message properly, but I think KMP did not
go astray -- I thought he was making the very point that while MAX
can be mechanically converted, PLUS cannot, and therefore PLUS has more
right to an allter-ego than MAX does.  And indeed, as he points out,
the compiler is in error in converting (PLUS (FIXNUM-IDENTITY X) 3)
into (+ X 3), if this is in fact what it does.
I might point out that when I suggested MAXIMUM/MAX/MAX$, the
xxx-IDENTITY functions didn't exist.  I agree with KMP's analysis,
but with JONL's conclusions.  xxx-IDENTITY -- or even FIX-I and
FLO-I (flatfoot FIX-I with a FLO-I FLO-I) -- is too painful
to type all over the place, and within their limited domain
MAX$ and + and >$ are extremely convenient and useful, whether
or not they are considered "primitive" or "macro".