[External] : Supplying DOC string in a `defun' using `defvar'

[Christopher Dimech]

> Sent: Thursday, June 03, 2021 at 10:39 AM
> From: "Stefan Monnier" <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca>
> To: "Drew Adams" <drew.adams@oracle.com>
> Cc: "Christopher Dimech" <dimech@gmx.com>, "help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org" 
> <help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>
> Subject: Re: [External] : Supplying DOC string in a `defun' using `defvar'
>
> > As I'm sure you know, by "this should be fixed"
> > I meant please fix :documentation, so it works
> > with both "dialects".
>
> Patch welcome.
>
> > The "fix" of introducing broken stuff, and saying "It'll all be fixed
> > when the dynamic dialect finally goes away" doesn't cut the mustard.
> > That's just "Demain on rase gratis !".
>
> The fact is: the two dialects *are* different and that's the price that
> had to be paid in order to introduce lexical scoping without breaking
> all the existing code.
>
> The fact that `:documentation` only works in the new dialect is the
> least common hurdle among several others (I've already seen at least 20
> cases here on gnu.emacs.help (plus at least the same amount in other
> places) of ELisp snippets working only in the new dialect and users
> stumbling because of that, this is the first that involves the obscure
> `:documentation` feature).
>
> So, while it is technically possible to make :documentation work in the
> old dialect, it won't fix the core problem nor its most common
> manifestations.  That core problem can only be fixed by helping people
> move to the new dialect as quickly as possible so we can go back to
> living in a single dialect.
>
> This discussion has already helped one user change its code to the new
> dialect, so maybe the fact that `:documentation` doesn't work in the old
> dialect should be seen as a feature to help people move to the
> new dialect.
>
>
>         Stefan

How long will you allow users to move to the new dialect?  And after that time,
the lexical binding declaration would no longer be necessary, right?