Suggestion for local tuples

[Dirk Laurie <dirk.laurie@...>]

Consider the following code.

    local x_1, x_2, x_3, x_4 = ...
-- followed by numerous references to x_1, x_2, x_3, x_4

It can be syntax-sugared:

    tuple x = ...
-- followed by numerous references to x[1], x[2], x[3], x[4]

Not merely sugar: one can now write x[i] without giving the value
of i as a constant.

It's reminiscent of Lua 4.0's 'arg', now defunct. But 'arg'
was a table, 'tuple' is a block of consecutive local variables.
You can write to items in it and there is no expensive table access.

A variable argument list is not the only application.

    tuple x = 1,3,2,4,7,8

Later, `return x` will return the current values of that
six-argument block.

A tuple could be the final parameter of a function call, particularly
to `select`. As in the case of `select`, no new objects will be constructed:
after

   y = select(3,x)

y[1] and x[4] will refer to the same local variable.

Some very fast code, not involving any table accesses, everything is
on the stack, can be written this way.

Semantics of x==y when at least one of the two names refers to
a tuple could be actual term-by-term equality. This is not over-expensive
since tuples can't be very large: they eat into the same cake that feeds
local variables.

I miss one baselib function to go with `select`, called maybe `head`,
that will make life with tuples more rewarding.  It returns exactly
those parameters _not_ returned by select.  Its code is very similar
to `select`, except that we don't need the possibility of `#`.
   return n - i;
is to be replaced by
   lua_settop(i+1);
   return(i);

To summarize: a Lua tuple would simply be a block of consecutive
local variables, of known size, and (unlike a Python tuple) having
non-constant values.