"The metacircular interpreter of Kernel can't compete with McCarthy's version."
First, it doesn't cover macros, while Kernel subsumes functions and hygienic macros with a single construct. Second, I don't think a toy version of a Kernel metacircular evaluator would be much more complex than the toy McCarthy evaluator.
"Any language with fexprs is 'as fundamental' as Kernel. Including LISP 1."
Only if said language is lexically scoped, and fexprs receive the lexical environment in which they are called as parameter, as in Kernel. Otherwise you'll miss hygiene.
Yeah I'd like to see a toy version of a Kernel metacircular interpreter.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't consider 'better supports hygiene' to imply 'more fundamental'. It doesn't add new capabilities. It merely prevents certain kinds of errors.
First, it doesn't cover macros, while Kernel subsumes functions and hygienic macros with a single construct. Second, I don't think a toy version of a Kernel metacircular evaluator would be much more complex than the toy McCarthy evaluator.
"Any language with fexprs is 'as fundamental' as Kernel. Including LISP 1."
Only if said language is lexically scoped, and fexprs receive the lexical environment in which they are called as parameter, as in Kernel. Otherwise you'll miss hygiene.