bug#27350: 25.2; Make `inhibit-compacting-font-caches' customizable

bug#27350: 25.2; Make `inhibit-compacting-font-caches' customizable

[Drew Adams]

Subject line says it all.  Please consider making this variable
customizable (a defcustom).  And consider documenting it in the Emacs
manual.

See, e.g., https://emacs.stackexchange.com/q/33510/105.

In GNU Emacs 25.2.1 (x86_64-w64-mingw32)
 of 2017-04-24
Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 6.1.7601
Configured using:
 `configure --without-dbus --without-compress-install 'CFLAGS=-O2
 -static -g3''

bug#27350: 25.2; Make `inhibit-compacting-font-caches' customizable

[Eli Zaretskii]

tag 27350 wontfix
quit

> Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2017 07:33:34 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>
> 
> Subject line says it all.  Please consider making this variable
> customizable (a defcustom).  And consider documenting it in the Emacs
> manual.
> 
> See, e.g., https://emacs.stackexchange.com/q/33510/105.

This variable is a "fire escape": it only exists because we were
unable to fix some of the situations where the slow-down happens (in
other cases changing the end-user font configuration fixed the
problem).  Ideally, it will some day go away.  Making it a defcustom
and documenting it will make removing it harder.

So no, I don't think we should do what you suggest, leaky postings on
Stackexchange notwithstanding.  (And those postings actually harm the
project, because all such problems should be reported as bugs,
allowing us to investigate as many of these problems as possible, and
hopefully helping us eventually find the culprit.  "Solving" them on
Stackexchange avoids bringing more of such problems to our attention.)

bug#27350: 25.2; Make `inhibit-compacting-font-caches' customizable

[Drew Adams]

> This variable is a "fire escape": it only exists because we were
> unable to fix some of the situations where the slow-down happens (in
> other cases changing the end-user font configuration fixed the
> problem).  Ideally, it will some day go away.  Making it a defcustom
> and documenting it will make removing it harder.

I see.  In that case, agreed.  Perhaps NEWS should characterize it
that way, instead of nearly suggesting that it is a user variable:

 "Set this variable to a non-nil value to speed up display of
  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  characters using large fonts, at the price of a larger memory
  footprint."

> So no, I don't think we should do what you suggest, leaky postings on
> Stackexchange notwithstanding.  (And those postings actually harm the
> project, because all such problems should be reported as bugs,
> allowing us to investigate as many of these problems as possible, and
> hopefully helping us eventually find the culprit.  "Solving" them on
> Stackexchange avoids bringing more of such problems to our attention.)

I'm glad I brought it to your attention, in that case. ;-)

You know where to find the person with the problem, if you
want more info about that specific case.

And you can also consider addressing the referenced "GitHub
discussion thread" (I haven't looked at it), either to get
further info about specific problems encountered or to let
folks there know that you would prefer that they raise an
Emacs bug.

Both of those references should presumably help you gather
info about "as many of these problems as possible".

bug#27350: 25.2; Make `inhibit-compacting-font-caches' customizable

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2017 10:02:17 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>
> Cc: 27350@debbugs.gnu.org
> 
> I'm glad I brought it to your attention, in that case. ;-)

But you didn't: the problem reported by the OP doesn't reproduce on my
machine.  That's why we need the people who actually have those
problems to talk to us: we need to ask them to try several things in
order to attempt to find the reason.

> And you can also consider addressing the referenced "GitHub
> discussion thread"

I'm familiar with that thread, and the problem reported there is fixed
in Emacs 26.  So no, that doesn't help either.

> Both of those references should presumably help you gather
> info about "as many of these problems as possible".

They don't.  We need to have people with the problem report the
details and be ready to work with us on them.

bug#27350: 25.2; Make `inhibit-compacting-font-caches' customizable

[Drew Adams]

> > I'm glad I brought it to your attention, in that case. ;-)
> 
> But you didn't: the problem reported by the OP doesn't reproduce on my
> machine.  That's why we need the people who actually have those
> problems to talk to us: we need to ask them to try several things in
> order to attempt to find the reason.

Which is why I pointed you to the OP, so you can ask the OP such things.

> > And you can also consider addressing the referenced "GitHub
> > discussion thread"
> 
> I'm familiar with that thread, and the problem reported there is fixed
> in Emacs 26.  So no, that doesn't help either.
> 
> > Both of those references should presumably help you gather
> > info about "as many of these problems as possible".
> 
> They don't.  We need to have people with the problem report the
> details and be ready to work with us on them.

See above.  Or maybe you have already contacted the OP and have
determined that the OP is not able or willing to give you the
details and work with you on them.