From ...
From: Erik Naggum <erik@naggum.no>
Subject: Re: `fast' global variables (Ex: Re: ??: using * for variable ?)
Date: 1999/03/22
Message-ID: <3131135071149992@naggum.no>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 457759367
References: <Pine.SOL.3.96L.990311113423.1033S-100000@russell2.phil.cmu.edu>     <djvhfzerqc.fsf@praeclarus.demon.co.uk>     <7csm6k$31f$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com>     <djsob1c7ij.fsf@planet.praeclarus.demon.co.uk>     <bICI2.13$kM2.772@burlma1-snr2> <36F31455.35F0CCB4@IntelliMarket.Com>     <7d4165$acl$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com> <36F66BFC.A7EA65D7@elwood.com>     <sfwbthlqshb.fsf@world.std.com> <7d6dtj$bp0$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com> <7d6fdb$egv$1@spitting-spider.aracnet.com>
mail-copies-to: never
Organization: Naggum Software; +47 8800 8879; http://www.naggum.no
Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp

* ANSI X3.226-1994
| 3.2.2.3 Semantic Constraints
| (...)
| Constant variables defined in the compilation environment must have a
| similar value at run time. A reference to a constant variable in source
| code is equivalent to a reference to a literal object that is the value
| of the constant variable.

* mikemac@mikemac.com (Mike McDonald)
| It says the object, not the contents of the object.

  I think you need to look up `literal object':

literal adj. (of an object) referenced directly in a program rather than
being computed by the program; that is, appearing as data in a quote form,
or, if the object is a self-evaluating object, appearing as unquoted data.
``In the form (cons "one" '("two")), the expressions "one", ("two"), and
"two" are literal objects.''

  such objects are immutable:

constant object n. an object that is constrained (e.g., by its context in a
program or by the source from which it was obtained) to be immutable.  ``A
literal object that has been processed by compile-file is a constant object.''

#:Erik