-*- Mode:TEXT; Package:USER -*-


			  * PROCESSOR-SYMBOL *
			     A Proposal for
			 Compiling References to
		   Foreign (Target Processor) Symbols

				  - - -

			      [Proposal #8]

			    Keith M. Corbett

			      Oct. 5, 1988 

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A. INTRODUCTION:

A problem can arise when system files must refer to different symbols,
depending on the target processor of compilation.  The existing
customization mechanisms do not provide a solution in many of these
cases.

Various suggestions have been discussed; the following appears to be a
"clean" solution.

B. PROPOSAL:

A customization macro is documented below that should solve a certain
kind of problem with foreign (target processor) symbol reference.  The
problem was first encountered when compiling the compiler, on and for
Lambda, after patches had been made to accomodate the cross-compiler.
The problem will arise whenever Lambda system files contain references
to Falcon packages that are not known to Lambda.

The code in Example 1 (below) will not compile on the Lambda unless the
K software is loaded.  For various reasons it is NOT desirable to force
the system maintainers to load the K software to compile the Lambda
system software for the Lambda.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Example 1:
  
  (cond
    ((eq *target-computer* 'k)
     ;;array:art-q ;;WKF: 5/18/88
     #+lambda k-array:art-q #+falcon array:art-q
     ''art-q)
    ((eq *target-computer* 'falcon)
     ;;etc.
     ))
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The basic point of the proposed solution is to return, as the result of
expanding a user-friendly macro, the desired symbol using INTERN.

In the earlier example, the new macro would be employed as follows (Example 2):

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Example 2:

 (processor-symbol
   (:lambda "ART-Q" "ZL")
    #+lambda (:falcon "ART-Q" "K-ARRAY")
    #+falcon (:falcon "ART-Q" "ARRAY"))
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The proposed macro has CASE-like features, permitting a list of
processor keywords and/or a T (or OTHERWISE) default symbol description.

The experimental version of the PROCESSOR-SYMBOL macro is currently
located in the file DJ:KEITH;PROCESSOR-SYMBOL.  Simple regression test
cases have been implemented, and are also contained in that file.