sum: extra dynamic evaluation?



>
>
>f(x):= sum(x^n/n!,n,0,inf);
>
This is the same issue that has been beaten do death on this list.... It 
is very hard to write functions
in maxima whose behaviour does not depend on the names of their 
parameters (and local variables).
In this case Robert fixed it (since sum is implemented at the lisp level 
one has more control) but there are many other instances where similar 
behaviour  (bugs?) occurs.

It seems to me that to understand the behaviour of a maxima function one 
has to know exactly how many evals on
the arguments occur (and at other places in the program). This is 
difficult since some evaluations occur internally.

In this case f(x):=sum('(x^n/n!),x,1,inf) would have worked correctly 
since the quote would have cancelled the
spurious evaluation.

Michel