[Openmcl-devel] COMPILE-FILE maybe-bug

[Robert Goldman]

On 9/29/10 Sep 29 -5:02 PM, Gary Byers wrote:

> The fact that this is the first time that I remember user code
> apparently trying to modify *FEATURES* at load time doesn't
> mean much of anything, but coupled with the fact that doing
> so seems like a bad idea my first reaction is to not want
> to encourage user-level code to do that sort of thing.

I'm actually having a hard time seeing a case where one would want the
changes /not/ to persist, which shows how opinions can vary!

E.g., when I worked on the Garnet code-base (a rapid-prototyping system
for UIs), it had a boatload of *features* that it set up in its loader
to indicate facts about the target system.

Let's say I compile and load Garnet.  Then I find a bug.  I jump to the
function, patch it, recompile the defun from emacs and .... get code
that doesn't reflect the target platform any more.

Having the changes not persist seems to fly in the face of the lisp
notion of a dynamic development environment.

Another case I just thought of:  The new version of the ASDF system
pushes :asdf2 onto *features* to indicate that system definers have
available to them new features added since ASDF 1.  Surely this should
persist?

But maybe I'm failing to completely understand your argument....

best,
r