Question about readtable null arguments

[quiroz@cs.rochester.edu]

I just noticed a certain ambiguity (What else is new? :-) in CLtL that
I would like to get clarified.

In 22.1.5, p 361, the definitions of `copy-readtable' and of
`set-syntax-from-char' establish a convention that a NIL readtable
argument that is used as source for a copy, refers to the "standard
Common Lisp readtable".  (This is slightly irregular, as in other
contexts an omitted argument is the same as a null argument, but I
digress.)

No such guarantee is given for other readtable arguments that happen
to be simultaneously optional and from-.  There are (at least) two
other functions where this convention would be useful:
get-[dispatch-]macro-character both take an optional readtable from
which they copy some information.  Both default to *readtable*.  But
nothing is said about explicitly giving them NIL.

In spite of not giving an explicit guarantee (OR DID I MISS IT?),
Steele seems to believe that the same convention applies.  In p 378,
he uses (get-macro-character #\) nil) with the comment "...Giving }
the same definition as the standard definition of the character )
has...", which makes me think he expects the "NIL means standard"
convention to apply.

I checked three implementations.  Two of them (Symbolics and Xerox)
seem to take the benign interpretation, making Steele's example of p
378 work.  KCl, on the other hand, sent me to the debugger:

      >(get-macro-character #\) nil)

      Error: NIL is not of type READTABLE.
      Error signalled by GET-MACRO-CHARACTER.

      Broken at GET-MACRO-CHARACTER.  Type :H for Help.
      >>

So, I'd appreciate hearing from the Lisp community, especially from
implementors:

1-  Is there in CLtL an explicit statement of the convention that
optional readtable arguments, in from- usage, supplied with an
explicit NIL, should mean the standard readtable?

2-  If not, is it nonetheless common to take that interpretation?
In your version of Common Lisp, (get-macro-character #\) nil)
    2.a.    Produces the macro function (perhaps nil) associated
            with ) in the standard readtable.
    2.b.    Errors out.
    2.c.    Does something else (like checking the current readtable).

3-  If your implementation takes the benign approach, what standard
    functions have been implemented to show this behavior?  (I guess
    the get-... ones are the only ones, I'd like to know if I missed
    another.)

I will summarize the responses.  Thanks,
Cesar Quiroz

PS. I have patches (trivial) to make KCl behave nicely to the
example in p. 378.  If you are interested, I can send them to you, or
post them if there is any interest.