Scott G. Miller wrote:
> Why, though, is the escape code format so complicated?

Because we want to be compatible with existing implementations.

> Surely something simpler could be imagined, ~r<n> for example, which when immediately
> preceding a value-requiring escape code requests that it retrieve the
> <n>'th argument.

That doesn't work if the value-requiring escade code can take a
parameter, which in Common Lisp (and existing Scheme implementations)
is almost all of them.

In any case, I don't think "~rNa" is enough of an improvement
over "~xxxxxx@*~a" to justifying inventing a new convention.  Yes,
it might have been better if Common Lisp made '@' ("absolute
goto") the default, but they didn't.
--
	--Per Bothner
xxxxxx@bothner.com   http://www.bothner.com/per/