RE: [External] : Re: The FIXME in `dotimes'

[Drew Adams]

> >>   (dotimes (count) ...)
> >
> > Lisp syntax rarely make the first element optional, and in this case
> > it's both the first and the last one:
> >
> >   (dotimes ([VAR] COUNT [RESULT]) BODY...)
> >
> > which is a bit alien, and it's perhaps not worth the trouble for just
> > omitting an underscore?
> >
> >>   (dotimes count ...)
> >
> > That wouldn't allow for arbitrary expressions so it's of limited
> > utility (and Lisp-alien, again). There's also the risk that someone
> > will eventually replace a variable by a function call, turning
> > (dotimes x ...) into (dotimes (f x) ...).
> 
> I agree, the idea was not well thought out and not worth the
> complication.

In addition to what's been said - It's not bad,
other things being equal, to keep it more or
less in sync with what it's taken from, which
is Common Lisp DOTIMES (and which apparently
was inspired by Interlisp's RPTQ).