GET 'FOO instead of :FOO for getting unset variables

Development Internals
2

Arguments Against

  1. Unlike other changes, this is one that can't be twisted around to become backwards compatible. There would be no way to be compatible with Red/Rebol2/R3-Alpha's behavior if the evaluator were changed in this way.

  2. Having GET and GET-WORD! finally do the same thing in Ren-C...as they do at the moment...may be seen as a victory for clarity, and hence should be kept.

  3. Casual code that uses GET-WORD! can easily be rewritten to use GET. But some of the functions that need it most are generic, and having to write GET 'X introduces clutter into already tough-to-understand functions. Plus, debugging them after the change is not pleasant.

So if this is to be heeded, then it suggests perhaps SET should be null-tolerant by default as well.

What this may suggest is a need for a cheaper form of a check which ensures something is not null, if you are suspicious it might be.