1. Seems unimportant to me. Probably it's mostly an aesthetical matter, thus very subjective.
2. I like the default. Macros are hard and the last thing I wanna do is learn TWO macro systems. Also, I really can't get scheme-style macros. They just won't click.
"Turning off" variable capture is pretty straightforward once you get it. And there are tools that can help you do it easily. It's not the most convenient thing in the world, I admit, but it's good enough for me.
3. Yes, I like uniformity too. Why not `(a b . ,others) instead? Would be more similar to what we do elsewhere. Oh, well...