Re: Byte compiler inefficiency

[Richard M. Stallman]

    The binding for x is completely unnecessary and wasteful.

It is necessary in order for compiled code to do the same thing
as the interpreted code.  When cadr is called interpretively,
the binding of x is like any other binding.

Now, we could consider adopting the convention that it is ok for the
compiled code not to work just like the interpreted code in this
particular kind of case.