Re: *current-language*

[BT Templeton]

BT Templeton <address@hidden> writes:

> What is `*current-language*' supposed to be used for? I see that it's
> set by `(@ (ice-9 eval-string) read-and-eval)' and by `(@ (system base
> compile) read-and-compile)', but not by the REPL. So calling
> `primitive-load-path' on a Scheme file from a REPL for another language
> works as expected, but it fails if called from a context in which
> `*current-language*' is bound to a value other than the default. For
> example:
>
>     scheme@(guile-user)> ,use (ice-9 eval-string)
>     scheme@(guile-user)> (eval-string
>     ... "(eval-when-compile
>     ...    (funcall (guile-ref (guile) primitive-load-path)
>     ...             \"texinfo.scm\"))"
>     ... #:lang 'elisp)
>     ;;; note: source file /home/bpt/src/guile/module/texinfo.scm
>     ;;;       newer than compiled /home/bpt/[...]/texinfo.scm.go
>     ;;; note: auto-compilation is enabled, set GUILE_AUTO_COMPILE=0
>     ;;;       or pass the --no-auto-compile argument to disable.
>     ;;; compiling /home/bpt/src/guile/module/texinfo.scm
>     ;;; WARNING: compilation of /home/bpt/src/guile/module/texinfo.scm failed:
>     ;;; key wrong-type-arg, throw args [...]
>     $1 = nil
>
> (This example currently only works in my copy of Guile, since it
> requires an `eval-when-compile' special operator for Elisp.)
>
> I think it might be preferable to require explicit language arguments to
> all compilation functions, or to default to Scheme explicitly.
>
> But another solution for this particular bug would be to have
> `compile-file' guess the language based on the file extension, and then
> `primitive-load-path' and similar functions would work with other
> languages too. A simple patch implementing this follows. A complete
> solution would be more general than this, of course, and might involve
> making load.c aware of the existence of other languages or rewriting
> some loading functions in Scheme.

[patch removed]

Any comments on this? I'd like to remove `*current-language*' entirely,
since it doesn't seem terribly useful ATM.

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