GNU bug report logs - #23781
25.0.95; read-string with HIST lexically bound

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Message #29 received at 23781 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stephen Berman <stephen.berman <at> gmx.net>
To: Noam Postavsky <npostavs <at> users.sourceforge.net>
Cc: Michael Heerdegen <michael_heerdegen <at> web.de>,
 Tino Calancha <f92capac <at> gmail.com>, 23781 <at> debbugs.gnu.org,
 Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
Subject: Re: bug#23781: 25.0.95; read-string with HIST lexically bound
Date: Sat, 25 Jun 2016 20:53:34 +0200

On Sat, 25 Jun 2016 12:53:18 -0400 Noam Postavsky <npostavs <at> users.sourceforge.net> wrote:

> On Sat, Jun 25, 2016 at 6:12 AM, Stephen Berman <stephen.berman <at> gmx.net> wrote:
>> On Fri, 24 Jun 2016 20:26:45 -0400 Noam Postavsky
>> <npostavs <at> users.sourceforge.net> wrote:
>>
>>> On Thu, Jun 23, 2016 at 7:18 PM, Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com> wrote:
>>>>> I think we should be a little more specific, not
>>>>> just give examples, something like:
>>>>>
>>>>>     Note that functions which take a symbol argument (like
>>>>>     ‘symbol-value’, ‘boundp’, and ‘set’) can only retrieve or modify a
>>>>>     variable’s dynamic binding (i.e., the contents of its symbol’s
>>>>>     value cell).
>>>>
>>>> Be even more specific: A Lisp symbol is a dynamic thing.
>>>> It is an object.  Lexical binding has nothing to do with symbols.
>>>> A given _name_ in code can sometimes be lexically bound.
>>>
>>> Hmm, this threatens to get a little philosophical, but that seems to
>>> contradict earlier text in the same node:
>>>
>>>        Here is how lexical binding works.  Each binding construct
>>>     defines a “lexical environment”, specifying the symbols that are
>>>     bound within the construct and their local values.
>>
>> I think it's more a question of definition than philosophy: AFAIU using
>> the word "symbols" here is strictly speaking incorrect; it should be
>> "variables".
>
> Yes, perhaps the implementation details leaked a bit too much into the
> description. I think it remains the case that the name of a variable
> is a symbol (as opposed to a string) though.

Well, the info node `(elisp) Variables' says:

   In Lisp, each variable is represented by a Lisp symbol (see
   Symbols::).  The variable name is simply the symbol’s name [...]

and a symbol's name is a string (according to `symbol-name').  But maybe
we should leave the bike shed before this gets too philosophical ;-)

Steve Berman 

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