Since I haven't used a language where unset variables are null or tried to design one, I'll assume you're right. I haven't had to use boundp much in Lisp, but I've had to use its equivalents in other languages quite a bit when working on other people's code for money. I suspect that boundp showing up in code a lot is a sign of badness - most likely in the choice of variable scope. I'm not sure if leaving it out will encourage people to write better code or just write their own workarounds.

Edit: aand binding test results to "it" reminds me of Apple's Hypercard. I will read the entire thread carefully before asking questions next time.