[Axiom-developer] Re: *read-default-float-format* in SBCL/wh-sandbox

[Waldek Hebisch]

> Hello Waldek,
> 
> *read-default-float-format* is set to single-float in SBCL/wh-sandbox.
> The problem, I think, is that SBCL does not save the value of this
> variable when creating a new Lisp image. As far as I know this happens
> for other variables (not exhaustive of course) *print-escape*
> *load-verbose* *compile-verbose* *load-print* *compile-print*
> *print-array*.
> 

AFAICS in open source Axiom *read-default-float-format* always was
set to single-float.  CCL based Axiom set *read-default-float-format*
to double-float.  GCL uses the same precision for single and
double floats (and also for long float), so for GCL it does not
matter very much.  Do you think we should set *read-default-float-format*
to T?  I must admit that in Lisp/boot sources I would prefer to
explicitly specify double precision (when needed), while for
Spad/input we are (or should be) using our own routines anyway.

Concerning *load-verbose*: in my sbcl-based Axiom it is set
to nil (the intended value) -- the same as in GCL or clisp
based version.  I am not sure if we care about other special
variables: we I think set them to required value during affected
operations.

BTW: If you want to have quiet compilation/loading it is not
enough to set *load-verbose* and *compile-verbose* to nil.
One also have to handle various conditions (see for example
|load_quietly| in axiom-lisp.lisp.pamphlet).

-- 
                              Waldek Hebisch
address@hidden