The attached patch make SLIME-CONNECTION ask "No connection: start Slime?" if there is no connection -- and then wait for the connection to come up.
This means that things like absent-minded M-. when there is no connection don't break the workflow as much.
Instead of
M-. / "damn" / M-x slime (or however you customarily start slime) / M-.
the sequence becomes
M-. / y
Reasons I did not merge this straightaway:
* The waiting is not terribly elegant.
* It would be a lot better if Slime started by SLIME-CONNECTION like this didn't rearrange windows the way it now does.
Cheers,
-- Nikodemus