[Gcl-devel] (type-of (gensym)) is not symbol anymore? (didn't it use to be?)

[Jeronimo Pellegrini]

Hello,

Today I noticed that some of my code that works on the
Debian packaged version of GCL doesn't work with the latest 
git checkout (master branch, 955c7fa7..., Thu Sep 13 16:32:27).

This is what happens: I check the type of variables that 
have content generated by gensym, and so far I thought that 
(type-of (gensym)), of, for that matter, (type-of x), where 
x contains the return value of (gensym), would always be 
SYMBOL. But it is not anymore:

$ GCL_ANSI=1 gcl
GCL (GNU Common Lisp)  2.7.0 ANSI    Nov  6 2018 23:26:25
Source License: LGPL(gcl,gmp,pargcl), GPL(unexec,bfd,xgcl)
Binary License:  GPL due to GPL'ed components: (XGCL READLINE UNEXEC)
Modifications of this banner must retain notice of a compatible license
Dedicated to the memory of W. Schelter

Use (help) to get some basic information on how to use GCL.
Temporary directory for compiler files set to /tmp/user/1000/

>(type-of (gensym))

SYSTEM:GSYM

I configured GCL as:
./configure --enable-ansi
            --enable-readline 
            --enable-notify=yes
            --enable-emacsdir=/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp
            --mandir=/usr/local/share/man
            --enable-infodir=/usr/local/share/info 


The debian version (2.6.12-80 in sid/unstable) returns "SYMBOL" 
(ECL, Clisp, CCL and SBCL also return SYMBOL).

Is this a planned change for the next release? Or is it a bug?
(Shouldn't GSYM be a subtype of SYMBOL, perhaps?)

Thanks a lot,
J.