[slime-devel] slime.el package name errors

[Lynn Quam]

I find that slime is very unforgiving when one accidently types a
nonexistent package name into a Lisp slime buffer.  In CMUCL, Lisp
enters the debugger, and slime selects the *sldb* buffer with the
message:

   Type-error in LISP::PACKAGE-OR-LOSE:  "" is not of type PACKAGE
      [Condition of type TYPE-ERROR]

   Restarts:
     0: [CONTINUE] Make this package.
  ...
  Backtrace:
    0: (LISP::PACKAGE-OR-LOSE "FEATURE-SET-PATHNAMES-CME")
    1: (FIND-SYMBOL "*RADIUS-SITE-GLUE2*" "FEATURE-SET-PATHNAMES-CME")
    2: ("DEFSLIMEFUN VARIABLE-DESC-FOR-ECHO-AREA")
        Locals:
        SWANK::SYM = #:INVALID
          SWANK::VARIABLE-NAME = #:INVALID
        [No catch-tags]
    3: (SWANK:VARIABLE-DESC-FOR-ECHO-AREA "feature-set-pathnames-cme::*radius-site-glue2*")
 
I appear to be unable to correct the mistake by editing the erroneous
package name, because as soon as I switch to the Lisp slime buffer and
position "point" at the erroneous package name, the error reoccurs
placing me back in the *sldb* buffer.

The same problem also occurs with slime and Allegro 6.2.

Is there any simple fix to this problem?