user interface macros

[David A. Moon <Moon@STONY-BROOK.SCRC.Symbolics.COM>]

JonL, I think all your points here are well-taken.  I just have one
comment, which is that in specifying the metaobject protocol we need to
be clear whether we're talking about how users can define new metaclass
methods to be called from the existing facilities such as DEFCLASS, or
about how users can define new facilities resembling DEFCLASS that call
the existing functions.  Of course both are important, but I think you
and Gregor might be approaching this from opposite ends and thus not
quite connecting.  There's also a third thing we seem to be talking
about, which is how users can extend the macros themselves (rather than
writing their own macros that resemble the predefined ones).

On the subject of ENSURE-GENERIC-FUNCTION, see the mail from Gregor from
last September embedded in the comments Scott and I mailed out earlier
tonight.  Now we see the problem with private discussions: the information
didn't get to everyone who needed to know it.