From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Richard Stallman Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: [jidanni@deadspam.com: modeline doesn't divulge buffer will go bye bye] Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 10:29:30 -0600 (MDT) Sender: emacs-devel-admin@gnu.org Message-ID: <200206211629.g5LGTUI20989@aztec.santafe.edu> References: <200206201435.g5KEZLF18772@aztec.santafe.edu> Reply-To: rms@gnu.org NNTP-Posting-Host: localhost.gmane.org X-Trace: main.gmane.org 1024677081 4825 127.0.0.1 (21 Jun 2002 16:31:21 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@main.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 16:31:21 +0000 (UTC) Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org Return-path: Original-Received: from quimby.gnus.org ([80.91.224.244]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.33 #1 (Debian)) id 17LRJh-0001Fd-00 for ; Fri, 21 Jun 2002 18:31:21 +0200 Original-Received: from fencepost.gnu.org ([199.232.76.164]) by quimby.gnus.org with esmtp (Exim 3.12 #1 (Debian)) id 17LRlw-00015M-00 for ; Fri, 21 Jun 2002 19:00:32 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=fencepost.gnu.org) by fencepost.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 3.34 #1 (Debian)) id 17LRJV-0008F5-00; Fri, 21 Jun 2002 12:31:09 -0400 Original-Received: from pele.santafe.edu ([192.12.12.119]) by fencepost.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 3.34 #1 (Debian)) id 17LRHw-0007sL-00; Fri, 21 Jun 2002 12:29:32 -0400 Original-Received: from aztec.santafe.edu (aztec [192.12.12.49]) by pele.santafe.edu (8.11.6+Sun/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g5LGTVC07211; Fri, 21 Jun 2002 10:29:31 -0600 (MDT) Original-Received: (from rms@localhost) by aztec.santafe.edu (8.10.2+Sun/8.9.3) id g5LGTUI20989; Fri, 21 Jun 2002 10:29:30 -0600 (MDT) X-Authentication-Warning: aztec.santafe.edu: rms set sender to rms@aztec using -f Original-To: bob@rattlesnake.com In-Reply-To: (bob@rattlesnake.com) Errors-To: emacs-devel-admin@gnu.org X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.9 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Emacs development discussions. List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:5063 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:5063 Perhaps we could insert a dot in a space to the left of the `mode-line-frame-identification' segment of a mode line if the buffer is visiting a file, and replace that glyph with a blank space if the buffer is not associated with a file. This is so subtle that I think many users won't notice it. If we teach people to look for it, they can spot it. But the problem (if it is a problem) is with users who don't understand the difference. In order to teach people to look for a small indicator of the difference, we need to first teach them the difference. So we have not really solved anything. For such a mode line feature to help teach users the point about non-file-visiting buffers, it needs to be loud enough that people who don't know that point will notice it. Another possible idea is to save some of these buffers in files anyway. Perhaps those which have "important" state in them. We would not save *Buffer List*, for instance, but we could save mail buffers, shell buffers, *Compile-Log*, etc.