Issue CHARACTER-LOOSE-ENDS Writeup

Issue:         CHARACTER-LOOSE-ENDS


References:    CLtL p.354, pp.51-2


Category:      CLARIFICATION


Edit history:  29-Apr-90, Version 1 by Moon (for Steele)


Problem description:


  The issues passed on the character proposal did not explicitly address

  the following, but they no longer make sense in light of the new

  character scheme that has been adopted.


  The #nnn\x reader syntax creates a character with font attribute nnn,

  but there is no longer a font attribute.


  COERCE coerces an integer to a character by calling INT-CHAR, but the

  INT-CHAR function no longer exists.


  This is Symbolics issue #26.


Proposal (CHARACTER-LOOSE-ENDS:FIX):


  Remove the #nnn\x reader syntax; an implementation can define it as an

  extension.


  Remove coercion from integer to character.


Rationale:


  Presumably the character subcommittee simply overlooked these points and

  the above proposal would have passed with the other character proposals

  if it had been proposed.


Current practice:


  I don't know.


Cost to Implementors:


  Easy.


Cost to Users:


  None.


Cost of non-adoption:


  These two features will still be in the language, but their specification

  will not make any sense.


Performance impact:


  None.


Benefits:


  Consistent language.


Esthetics:


  Consistent language.


Discussion:


  None.