From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: nljlistbox2@gmail.com (N. Jackson) Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.bugs Subject: bug#16764: 24.3.50; Insertion point stops flashing when Emacs not hung -- please reconsider this new default behaviour Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2014 14:19:39 -0400 Message-ID: <871tz4w85g.fsf@moondust.localdomain> NNTP-Posting-Host: plane.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1392488476 26491 80.91.229.3 (15 Feb 2014 18:21:16 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2014 18:21:16 +0000 (UTC) To: 16764@debbugs.gnu.org Original-X-From: bug-gnu-emacs-bounces+geb-bug-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sat Feb 15 19:21:23 2014 Return-path: Envelope-to: geb-bug-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([208.118.235.17]) by plane.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1WEjrf-0007PE-CW for geb-bug-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Sat, 15 Feb 2014 19:21:23 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:57809 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1WEjre-0001cv-Rm for geb-bug-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Sat, 15 Feb 2014 13:21:22 -0500 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:47004) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1WEjrT-0001bP-Ev for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sat, 15 Feb 2014 13:21:19 -0500 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1WEjrL-0002MV-14 for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sat, 15 Feb 2014 13:21:11 -0500 Original-Received: from debbugs.gnu.org ([140.186.70.43]:52496) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1WEjrK-0002MN-Tx for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sat, 15 Feb 2014 13:21:02 -0500 Original-Received: from Debian-debbugs by debbugs.gnu.org with local (Exim 4.80) (envelope-from ) id 1WEjrK-0008TG-9Y for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sat, 15 Feb 2014 13:21:02 -0500 X-Loop: help-debbugs@gnu.org Resent-From: nljlistbox2@gmail.com (N. Jackson) Original-Sender: "Debbugs-submit" Resent-CC: bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org Resent-Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2014 18:21:01 +0000 Resent-Message-ID: Resent-Sender: help-debbugs@gnu.org X-GNU-PR-Message: report 16764 X-GNU-PR-Package: emacs X-GNU-PR-Keywords: X-Debbugs-Original-To: bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org Original-Received: via spool by submit@debbugs.gnu.org id=B.139248841732487 (code B ref -1); Sat, 15 Feb 2014 18:21:01 +0000 Original-Received: (at submit) by debbugs.gnu.org; 15 Feb 2014 18:20:17 +0000 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:53678 helo=debbugs.gnu.org) by debbugs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.80) (envelope-from ) id 1WEjqa-0008Rr-A4 for submit@debbugs.gnu.org; Sat, 15 Feb 2014 13:20:16 -0500 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([208.118.235.92]:45084) by debbugs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.80) (envelope-from ) id 1WEjqW-0008RZ-Q7 for submit@debbugs.gnu.org; Sat, 15 Feb 2014 13:20:13 -0500 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1WEjqJ-0001vx-1g for submit@debbugs.gnu.org; Sat, 15 Feb 2014 13:20:07 -0500 Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::11]:47712) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1WEjqI-0001vr-Us for submit@debbugs.gnu.org; Sat, 15 Feb 2014 13:19:58 -0500 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:46736) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1WEjqA-0001AK-Gp for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sat, 15 Feb 2014 13:19:58 -0500 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1WEjq2-0001rI-3U for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sat, 15 Feb 2014 13:19:50 -0500 Original-Received: from mail-qa0-x22d.google.com ([2607:f8b0:400d:c00::22d]:61110) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1WEjq1-0001q2-UL for bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sat, 15 Feb 2014 13:19:42 -0500 Original-Received: by mail-qa0-f45.google.com with SMTP id m5so6544952qaj.4 for ; Sat, 15 Feb 2014 10:19:41 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=from:to:subject:date:message-id:mime-version:content-type; bh=P8v48aJ+QCQ6p+vRjJut/7NcGO8AC2jTQP7tfJoi3RQ=; b=kGyelxe3O4h3qMzZbJOEu+yKVvtUq27qBIiQg0ADojuTycrwJ8KtOwrGUavSZYb0Wq C5cPQOxOcsskzsv2RYGWS2BLmNegBc/zjtVl4iJ3viRk40+4GPDOirvoYIMNE3Cg8j+E mGHK9BeULDo3wmVLKfYVo71DrzVvfW57QQUoHxItOoXg21hCKKA5ZlHp7o+IvOevZoVK +4mIsrukpUyO9Gd5DoT7l4nd2h04pjbiZXHi2+2pQ3OWXrZqOcm+13bjUKlIX5PPS/xG T+r4mNDioLq/y9yTZBd3L25VU4AUbDIXHx8t76hRJ6KejOi7gjYLcrbrJ6E7UaDFRvno VELg== X-Received: by 10.224.29.131 with SMTP id q3mr23703540qac.62.1392488381264; Sat, 15 Feb 2014 10:19:41 -0800 (PST) Original-Received: from moondust.localdomain.nodomain.none (T8630.WPA.Dal.Ca. [134.190.134.48]) by mx.google.com with ESMTPSA id i7sm27625060qan.0.2014.02.15.10.19.40 for (version=TLSv1.2 cipher=ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256 bits=128/128); Sat, 15 Feb 2014 10:19:40 -0800 (PST) X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: Error: Malformed IPv6 address (bad octet value). X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: Error: Malformed IPv6 address (bad octet value). X-BeenThere: debbugs-submit@debbugs.gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 3.x X-Received-From: 140.186.70.43 X-BeenThere: bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org List-Id: "Bug reports for GNU Emacs, the Swiss army knife of text editors" List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: bug-gnu-emacs-bounces+geb-bug-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: bug-gnu-emacs-bounces+geb-bug-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.bugs:85629 Archived-At: Since I started using Emacs 24.3.50 I've noticed that the insertion point stops flashing after about a dozen blinks (ten apparently). Every time this happens I'm flooded with anxiety over how much work I will have lost now that Emacs has crashed! After a while I realised this happens predictably and the Emacs hasn't actually crashed. But that hasn't lessened the waves of unconscious anxiety when it happens. In fact I simply concluded that Emacs is unstable and was temporarilly hanging frequently but briefly. However, today, while doing a careful reading of the NEWS file, I see: ** The cursor stops blinking after 10 blinks (by default) on X and NS. You can change the default by customizing `blink-cursor-blinks'. So I can get normal behaviour back with a (setq blink-cursor-blinks 0), so it's not a big deal, but I feel that the wrong default has been chosen for this variable. The blinking of the insertion point allows one to locate it quickly -- otherwise it's nigh impossible to find. [This is especially true if one has the cursor-type set to 'bar, which is a much easier to use configuration -- otherwise one is constantly having to remember at which edge of the block cursor the insertion point is, and which character will be deleted when one uses the backspace key, and the block cursor is unnecessarilly obrusive/distracting.] Additionally, from the user's perspective, the blinking of the cursor is the heartbeat of an application. When it stops, it signals that the application is dead. This does not seem to be a sensible thing for Emacs to signal to its users by default. Unless there is a good reason for turning it off, I would like to request that you consider leaving it on by default. Thank you. Regards, N.