bug#10873: 24.0.93; `report-emacs-bug' obscures bug-reporting buffer (!)

[martin rudalics <rudalics@gmx.at>]

 >>   > *Completions* is not a modal window.
 >>
 >> I don't mind to disagree here.
 >
 > Not sure it is important to discuss this, but what is your
 > disagreement?

I consider the window showing *Completions* modal.

 >> The modal activity in the case at hand is picking up a completion.
 >
 > That's not modal, if by that you mean that you cannot (or even
 > that you should not) do anything else until you choose a
 > completion candidate.  You can do all kinds of things while
 > the minibuffer is waiting for you to choose a candidate.
 > There is nothing modal about this.

It is modal.  But since Emacs is always nice to its users it has its own
interpretation of modality.  It shows modal windows where the user wants
them and allows the user to do virtually anything while they are shown.
There's one restriction: Emacs expects the user to be nice to it as
well.

Emacs also has shy windows like the one from Ispell.  These go away when
the user doesn't pay attention to them.  Modal windows are a bit more
insistent.  But as I mentioned earlier their only rules are: A modal
window should disappear immediately when it's no more needed but till
then it should remain continuously visible.

And finally we have what you probably would consider modal: Dialogs like
that of Emacs asking you whether it should save a buffer when exiting.
There you won't be able to send a bug report until you have either quit
or given an appropriate answer.

 > I argue only that (1) the bug-reporting window(s) should be visible

They usually are except for a few cases involving dedicated windows and
unsplittable frames.

 > and (2) other windows should not be removed.
 >
 > A start might be to combine the instructions/help window with
 > the reporting window.  The reporting window already has lots
 > of instructional text in it.  Using a separate page in that
 > window for the help info would go a long way toward stopping
 > the reporting window from being occluded.
 >
 > It might even help if the order of creation of the two bug
 > windows were reversed (dunno).  What happens now is that the
 > more important of the two windows is hidden and the less
 > important of the two is shown - just the help.  That's not
 > ideal.

All this is coded in Elisp.  Why don't you give it a try?

martin