From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "Drew Adams" Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: RE: e and pi Date: Sat, 18 Sep 2010 17:57:30 -0700 Message-ID: References: <8739t9xpt2.fsf@stupidchicken.com> <874odoweqm.fsf@stupidchicken.com> <8762y3onz7.fsf@stupidchicken.com> <87ocbux3y9.fsf@stupidchicken.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: dough.gmane.org 1284857884 10562 80.91.229.12 (19 Sep 2010 00:58:04 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@dough.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 19 Sep 2010 00:58:04 +0000 (UTC) To: "'Uday S Reddy'" , Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sun Sep 19 02:58:02 2010 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1Ox8EE-00009A-J7 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sun, 19 Sep 2010 02:58:02 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:41231 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Ox8ED-00014z-VE for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sat, 18 Sep 2010 20:58:02 -0400 Original-Received: from [140.186.70.92] (port=40822 helo=eggs.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Ox8E6-00014Z-11 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 18 Sep 2010 20:57:55 -0400 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1Ox8E4-0003mN-TU for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 18 Sep 2010 20:57:53 -0400 Original-Received: from rcsinet10.oracle.com ([148.87.113.121]:25075) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1Ox8E4-0003mA-Oe for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 18 Sep 2010 20:57:52 -0400 Original-Received: from acsinet15.oracle.com (acsinet15.oracle.com [141.146.126.227]) by rcsinet10.oracle.com (Switch-3.4.2/Switch-3.4.2) with ESMTP id o8J0viJN029201 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=OK); Sun, 19 Sep 2010 00:57:45 GMT Original-Received: from acsmt354.oracle.com (acsmt354.oracle.com [141.146.40.154]) by acsinet15.oracle.com (Switch-3.4.2/Switch-3.4.1) with ESMTP id o8IMa60U020535; Sun, 19 Sep 2010 00:57:44 GMT Original-Received: from abhmt009.oracle.com by acsmt354.oracle.com with ESMTP id 616401321284857804; Sat, 18 Sep 2010 17:56:44 -0700 Original-Received: from dradamslap1 (/10.159.217.191) by default (Oracle Beehive Gateway v4.0) with ESMTP ; Sat, 18 Sep 2010 17:56:44 -0700 X-Mailer: Microsoft Office Outlook 11 Thread-Index: ActXebDbThC8jtuLTJeDh+gQEeQ02QAGsvIg In-Reply-To: X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.5994 X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 2.6 (newer, 3) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:130465 Archived-At: > The point is not whether `e' is being bound in a let or a defun. Correct. The point is that one should easily be able to know which `e' is involved at any point. In particular (see the Subject), a global variable (constant) intended to represent a math constant should have a global name that proclaims that unambiguously: "I'm a global math constant". > Rather, the point is that we should be able to use a variable like `e' as > a free variable in a closure. No, that is a completely separate point - not the point of this thread. Or at least it should not be, even if lexical binding might be one way to circumvent the `e' constant naming issue (without actually addressing and solving it properly). To see this, just substitute `x' or `frobfroth' for `e' in your last sentence above. Your point remains. It is a valid point, but it is independent of the question about the math constant `e'. > We can do so only if it is governed by lexical binding. Right. So let's start another thread to sing hurrahs for the possibility of easier and clearer lexical binding in Emacs. It's just (logically) a different question than that of poorly named constants `e' and `pi'.