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(cl)Common Lisp Compatibility


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Common Lisp Compatibility
*************************

Following is a list of all known incompatibilities between this package
and Common Lisp as documented in Steele (2nd edition).

   Certain function names, such as `member', `assoc', and `floor', were
already taken by (incompatible) Emacs Lisp functions; this package
appends `*' to the names of its Common Lisp versions of these functions.

   The word `defun*' is required instead of `defun' in order to use
extended Common Lisp argument lists in a function.  Likewise,
`defmacro*' and `function*' are versions of those forms which
understand full-featured argument lists.  The `&whole' keyword does not
work in `defmacro' argument lists (except inside recursive argument
lists).

   The `eql' and `equal' predicates do not distinguish between IEEE
floating-point plus and minus zero.  The `equalp' predicate has several
differences with Common Lisp; Note: Predicates.

   The `setf' mechanism is entirely compatible, except that
setf-methods return a list of five values rather than five values
directly.  Also, the new "`setf' function" concept (typified by `(defun
(setf foo) ...)') is not implemented.

   The `do-all-symbols' form is the same as `do-symbols' with no
OBARRAY argument.  In Common Lisp, this form would iterate over all
symbols in all packages.  Since Emacs obarrays are not a first-class
package mechanism, there is no way for `do-all-symbols' to locate any
but the default obarray.

   The `loop' macro is complete except that `loop-finish' and type
specifiers are unimplemented.

   The multiple-value return facility treats lists as multiple values,
since Emacs Lisp cannot support multiple return values directly.  The
macros will be compatible with Common Lisp if `values' or `values-list'
is always used to return to a `multiple-value-bind' or other
multiple-value receiver; if `values' is used without
`multiple-value-...' or vice-versa the effect will be different from
Common Lisp.

   Many Common Lisp declarations are ignored, and others match the
Common Lisp standard in concept but not in detail.  For example, local
`special' declarations, which are purely advisory in Emacs Lisp, do not
rigorously obey the scoping rules set down in Steele's book.

   The variable `*gensym-counter*' starts out with a pseudo-random
value rather than with zero.  This is to cope with the fact that
generated symbols become interned when they are written to and loaded
back from a file.

   The `defstruct' facility is compatible, except that structures are
of type `:type vector :named' by default rather than some special,
distinct type.  Also, the `:type' slot option is ignored.

   The second argument of `check-type' is treated differently.


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