bug#7848: 23.2.91; Can't build with MinGW

[Stefan Monnier]

>> I would recommend to stay away from such low-level code unless you're
>> writing code that tries to implement part of the binding-semantics
>> of Emacs.  I.e. just use Fset.
> Using Fset here would be a terrible overkill, IMO.

Overkill?  For code that's not even inside a loop?  What are you talking about?

> I'm not even sure I understand all of its semantics,

The semantics of Fset are the same as the ones of `setq' which you use
days-in days-out in Elisp.  I.e. it's the semantics you know best,
whereas the semantics of SET_SYMBOL_VAL are a lot more tricky.

> and not sure it will work correctly in the context of an init_*
> function that is called when Emacs is dumped.

Yes, it'll work just fine, pretty much in any context (the only tricky
context in this respect is when/before the `nil' symbol&variable and the
`unbound' value are built, AFAIK).

> OTOH, direct assignments of symbol's value like above _are_
> used in several init_* functions and elsewhere.

I've fixed some of those in the past, and feel free to fix more of them.

> Also, I wanted to un-break the release branch as fast as I could.

I'm not complaining, at all.  Just giving advice.


        Stefan