"sum" quotes its arguments -- what's up with that?

I think that many of the problems, with integrate, sum etc.
  would disappear if one insisted
on a notation that was better.

For example, borrowing from lisp or scheme...

instead of sum(i,i,1,3)

we could have
    sum ( lambda([i],i), 1..3).

Thus it is clear where i is bound.

Stavros Macrakis wrote:
>>The reappearance of certain topics over a period of years
>>might be considered evidence that, in fact, something is wrong.
> 
> 
> Yes, something *is* wrong -- Maxima doesn't understand variable scope
> in sum, integrate, plot2d, or even lambda in many cases.
> 
> 
>>are simple workarounds -- quote i or use j instead.
> 
> 
> I don't agree that quoting i is a good solution here, though I *do*
> agree that autoquoting the argument is *also* a poor solution.
> 
> 
>>There is an analogous and equally strong argument for
>>making "integrate" an mspec. Shouldn't "sum" and "integrate"
>>both be mspecs or both mfuns?
> 
> 
> Yes, please read my earlier postings (and bug reports) on precisely
> this issue.  Integrate and sum are inconsistent -- in fact sum is
> internally inconsistent.
>  
>            -s
> 
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