Special variables

Global variables in Common Lisp are the outermost special (dynamic) variables, not the outermost lexical (static) variables. This is a confusing and sometimes controversial issue on which I've collected some interesting items:

An argument that globals are special in Common Lisp, written by me for Comp.lang.lisp in 1991.
Version 2 of the PROCLAIM-LEXICAL cleanup issue, plus some e-mail discussion.
Version 9 of the PROCLAIM-LEXICAL cleanup. This is at least close to the final version.

Jeff Dalton