bug#7507: 24.0.50; GDB dialog: default should not be `Yes' if GDB is not installed

bug#7507: 24.0.50; GDB dialog: default should not be `Yes' if GDB is not installed

[Drew Adams]

Why does the question asking whether I want to debug with GDB have `Yes'
as the default value if I don't even have GDB installed?  That obliges
users to pick up the mouse and click `No' instead of just hitting RET.
If you try to answer `Yes' you just get into trouble: That provokes a
Microsoft error, letting you send lots of interesting info to MS for
`GNU Emacs: The extensible self-documenting text editor'.  I.e., `Yes'
=> Microsoft dialog box: `Send Error Report' or `Don't Send'.

In GNU Emacs 24.0.50.1 (i386-mingw-nt5.1.2600)
 of 2010-11-22 on 3249CTO
Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 5.1.2600
configured using `configure --with-gcc (4.4) --no-opt --cflags
-Ic:/imagesupport/include'

bug#7507: 24.0.50; GDB dialog: default should not be `Yes' if GDB is not installed

[Lars Ingebrigtsen]

"Drew Adams" <drew.adams@oracle.com> writes:

> Why does the question asking whether I want to debug with GDB have `Yes'
> as the default value if I don't even have GDB installed?  That obliges
> users to pick up the mouse and click `No' instead of just hitting RET.
> If you try to answer `Yes' you just get into trouble: That provokes a
> Microsoft error, letting you send lots of interesting info to MS for
> `GNU Emacs: The extensible self-documenting text editor'.  I.e., `Yes'
> => Microsoft dialog box: `Send Error Report' or `Don't Send'.

When does Emacs ask whether you want to debug something with GDB?  I
can't recall it ever asking me that...

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no

bug#7507: 24.0.50; GDB dialog: default should not be `Yes' if GDB is not installed

[Drew Adams]

> When does Emacs ask whether you want to debug something with GDB?  I
> can't recall it ever asking me that...

When Emacs crashes (if you're lucky), on MS Windows, at least.

bug#7507: 24.0.50; GDB dialog: default should not be `Yes' if GDB is not installed

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org>
> Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2016 00:56:44 +0200
> Cc: 7507@debbugs.gnu.org
> 
> "Drew Adams" <drew.adams@oracle.com> writes:
> 
> > Why does the question asking whether I want to debug with GDB have `Yes'
> > as the default value if I don't even have GDB installed?  That obliges
> > users to pick up the mouse and click `No' instead of just hitting RET.
> > If you try to answer `Yes' you just get into trouble: That provokes a
> > Microsoft error, letting you send lots of interesting info to MS for
> > `GNU Emacs: The extensible self-documenting text editor'.  I.e., `Yes'
> > => Microsoft dialog box: `Send Error Report' or `Don't Send'.
> 
> When does Emacs ask whether you want to debug something with GDB?  I
> can't recall it ever asking me that...

This is about the Emacs Abort dialog that Emacs displays only on
MS-Windows.

FWIW, I don't think trying to detect whether GDB is installed when
displaying that dialog is a reasonable request.  That dialog is
displayed when Emacs is already in bad trouble, so embarking on a
non-trivial journey trying to find gdb.exe somewhere on the system,
which involves issuing quite a few system calls, doesn't sound like a
good idea.

The standard dialog popped up by Windows in similar situations
includes the "Debug" button even if debugging tools are not installed,
so I think we don't do anything preposterously unreasonable here.

bug#7507: 24.0.50; GDB dialog: default should not be `Yes' if GDB is not installed

[Lars Ingebrigtsen]

Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> writes:

>> > Why does the question asking whether I want to debug with GDB have `Yes'
>> > as the default value if I don't even have GDB installed?  That obliges
>> > users to pick up the mouse and click `No' instead of just hitting RET.
>> > If you try to answer `Yes' you just get into trouble: That provokes a
>> > Microsoft error, letting you send lots of interesting info to MS for
>> > `GNU Emacs: The extensible self-documenting text editor'.  I.e., `Yes'
>> > => Microsoft dialog box: `Send Error Report' or `Don't Send'.

[...]

> FWIW, I don't think trying to detect whether GDB is installed when
> displaying that dialog is a reasonable request.  That dialog is
> displayed when Emacs is already in bad trouble, so embarking on a
> non-trivial journey trying to find gdb.exe somewhere on the system,
> which involves issuing quite a few system calls, doesn't sound like a
> good idea.

But presumably Emacs has to do the `executable-find' thing to call gdb,
anyway?  And ending up in a situation where we're offering to send a bug
report to Microsoft sounds less than optimal...

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no

bug#7507: 24.0.50; GDB dialog: default should not be `Yes' if GDB is not installed

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org>
> Cc: drew.adams@oracle.com,  7507@debbugs.gnu.org
> Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2016 11:38:32 +0200
> 
> > FWIW, I don't think trying to detect whether GDB is installed when
> > displaying that dialog is a reasonable request.  That dialog is
> > displayed when Emacs is already in bad trouble, so embarking on a
> > non-trivial journey trying to find gdb.exe somewhere on the system,
> > which involves issuing quite a few system calls, doesn't sound like a
> > good idea.
> 
> But presumably Emacs has to do the `executable-find' thing to call gdb,
> anyway?

No.  The user is instructed (in the dialog text) to attach GDB to the
running Emacs process.  So it's the user who should know how to invoke
GDB, Emacs doesn't.

> And ending up in a situation where we're offering to send a bug
> report to Microsoft sounds less than optimal...

If the user doesn't want to debug Emacs, she should click "No", or
type TAB, then RET, and then no report will be sent anywhere.

bug#7507: 24.0.50; GDB dialog: default should not be `Yes' if GDB is not installed

[Lars Ingebrigtsen]

Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> writes:

> No.  The user is instructed (in the dialog text) to attach GDB to the
> running Emacs process.  So it's the user who should know how to invoke
> GDB, Emacs doesn't.

Aha.  Then I agree with you -- there's nothing here to fix.  Closing.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no