Faré wrote:

But there should really be another layered project to provide all the basic algorithms to CL: fifos, various trees, iterators, comparators, tries, hashes, sorting, pure and impure containers, etc. Although we possibly want to layer that on top of a good macroexpansion and higher-order module system a la MzScheme.

Sure, but definitely out of scope for Alexandria.

Notes, reading the darcs source:

• I think if-let* would be better if it did short-circuit logic and

stopped computing and binding at the first NIL

Possible, but probably a sign that the operator itself can be interpreted in too many ways and should be left out. Dunno.

• in sequences.lisp, shouldn't suffle be shuffle?

Ooops!

• shouldn't emptyp be a gf?

Probably yes.

• in symbols, what does ensure-symbol do that intern alone doesn't do???

When writing macros needing to do (intern (string something-from-user) package) happens often enough to annoy me.

I have no idea why it does first FIND-SYMBOL and the INTERN. Looks like a brainfart.

• there should be a shortcut format-keyword for format-symbol :keyword

Good call.

• tests should probably be in a separate directory, one per file,

mimicking the main source files.

The same.

Things I would really like from arnesi

• compose is done better in arnesi. a multiple-value version would be

even better (as a replacement or a distinct function).

You're referring to implementation, not semantics? (Taking a quick look Arnesi seems to agree on semantics.)

Both COMPOSE and MV-COMPOSE are useful in different situations, so I don't really see why they should be folded into one.

• I *really* would like to see the flow-control parts of arnesi there.

Except that I prefer (block NIL ...) to (block while ...), and with* should have a different name.

Aside from anaphoric stuff contents of flow-control.lisp seem mostly fine to me. (Modulo docs.) I agree on the BLOCK NIL, fits with various CL constructs.

...except I am very dubious about WITH*.

• ensure-list, ensure-cons, remove-keywords

ensure-list is in Alexandria, remove-keywords is calles SANS.

ensure-cons sounds good.

• eval-always (called eval-now in fare-utils)

I can be convinced about this, but I've always felt that eval-always is a sign that the thing has not been thought about, and doesn't really inform the reader. I believe an Emacs command to insert the mantra does the same thing better.

Things that might or not be good, some of which I have in fare-utils or that are in use at ITA:

• the "optimizing" strcat (that normalizes to base-string if possible)

Possible, but seesm pretty specialized.

• nconcf, append1 append1f (i.e add one element at the end).

You mean nconc1, append1, and the corresponding modify-macros? Sounds good.

• many variants along the line of clisp's with-collect, arnesi's

with-collector, etc.

I think collector stuff may out of scope, at least for initial release. The design space is too large for a "right" solution, and there is no clear traditional favorite.

• my DBG macro, for print-based debugging.

I think putting debugging tools into a separate package might be a good idea.

• with-input, with-output, for wrapping a stream-using function like

format does with its internals (i.e NIL means returning the resulting string).

Possible.

• defconstant-equal, defconstant-equalp, defconstant-unequal,

defconstant-eqx -- to specify the constantness that matters.

How about

(define-constant var value :test equal)

?

• alist->hash-table and hash-table->alist

hash-table-alist and alist-hash-table exist in Alexandria.

• with-accessors (with optional prefix) as a replacement for with-slots.

This would shadow cl:with-accessors, no?

• accessors-equal to help compare objects slot-by-slot

Possible.

• plist->alist

Call it plist-to-alist and add the inverse. ;)

• association

Need to look at this. (Or you can explain it.)

• defun-inline

I feel this is redundant, or possibly out of scope for Alexandria.

A separate package/project for defun-typed, defun-inline might be in order.

• define-values-modify-macro define-values-post-modify-macro post-incf

post-decf

If the semantics are right, sure.

• multiple-value-quote (only useful if we also provide standard

abbreviated names -- which would make sense *a different package*)

Need to look at this. (Or you can explain it.)

• symbol-macro-expansion

Nice!

I wonder if doing the SETF too would be too hacky.

That's all for today.

Good stuff. I see that there are two things that are part of the Big Alexandria Idea that are not on the homepage:

1. Remain backwards compatible. Don't add stuff you may regret.

2. All project members have a veto on any operator. (This veto doesn't have to be excercised immediately -- we will have a veto-round before release.)

And to lesser extent: keep the package namespace down to something reasoable so that it will not conflict too badly when it gets USE-PACKAGEd.

These are basically the ways conservativism is hopefully created.

Cheers,

-- Nikodemus