Alan Manuel Gloria:
> Actually, I think I very much prefer the "\".

I think your visual argument is sound.  I particularly appreciate that you 
divided up the issue into different use cases, that makes it much easier to 
follow.

BUT.  What concerns me is that "\" is already taken by Common Lisp, and I 
recall that some other Lisps have done the same.  Per the Common Lisp hyperspec 
spec:
  http://www.lispworks.com/documentation/HyperSpec/Body/02_b.htm
A "\" followed by space would begin a symbol whose name begins with space, by 
definition.

Yes, we could say that "\"+space loses its usual meaning while doing 
indentation processing, if your Lisp normally uses \.  And someone who wants 
that meaning could use (. symbol-\ -with-space).  And you'd be right that the 
need for such symbols is rare.

The real worry I have is, if we do that, would we create a barrier for 
adoption?  This would create an immediate pause - and perhaps rejection - by 
anyone who uses "\" for a symbol escape.   That includes any Common Lisp 
implementation, and any other systems which have adopted that notation.  Nobody 
likes complicated rule interactions.

--- David A. Wheeler

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