The autoloader is a new feature to SWI-Prolog. Its aim is to simplify program development and program management. Common lisp has a similar feature, but here the user has to specify which library is to be loaded if a specific function is called which is not defined. The advantage of the SWI-Prolog schema is that the user does not have to specify this. Only experience can learn whether the functionality of the autoloader is appropriate.
Comments are welcome.
A more appropriate interaction with this flag will be considered.