Subject: RE: bug#45428: 27.1; (quote (quote (quote ...))) unexpectedly works as anonymous face

From: Drew Adams <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 27 Dec 2020 11:56:39 -0800 (PST)

> > > You should indeed rely on documented behavior.  But that doesn't mean
> > > Emacs cannot have undocumented behavior, especially when it is a side
> > > effect of the specific implementation of some documented feature.
> >
> > Agreed.  But what is the specific need for this
> > particular undocumented behavior?
> 
> Who said there's a need?  AFAIU, it's just an implementation artifact.

What do you mean by that?

Isn't everything that's implemented an implementation
artifact, including bugs?

Do we have any idea why this odd behavior was implemented?

Or are you suggesting that the behavior was an accident?
Is that what you meant by "artifact" here?  If so, what
would be the argument for not fixing it, if it was never
intended in the first place and it flies in the face of
Lisp's general behavior?