From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Luc Teirlinck Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: backup method Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2005 15:48:04 -0600 (CST) Message-ID: <200501292148.j0TLm4S09241@raven.dms.auburn.edu> References: <20050127000210.GA6167@boetes.org> <200501270045.j0R0jIq06197@raven.dms.auburn.edu> <20050127015432.GB6167@boetes.org> <20050128035618.GI6167@boetes.org> <20050129060851.GQ6167@boetes.org> <200501291842.j0TIgVw09020@raven.dms.auburn.edu> <87d5vo7xsw.fsf-monnier+emacs@gnu.org> NNTP-Posting-Host: deer.gmane.org X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1107037330 20804 80.91.229.6 (29 Jan 2005 22:22:10 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2005 22:22:10 +0000 (UTC) Cc: han@mijncomputer.nl, emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sat Jan 29 23:22:02 2005 Return-path: Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by deer.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1Cv0yg-0005zT-00 for ; Sat, 29 Jan 2005 23:22:02 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Cv1BC-0004Jg-RA for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sat, 29 Jan 2005 17:34:58 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1Cv17Y-0003B0-8X for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 29 Jan 2005 17:31:14 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1Cv17F-000360-Q6 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 29 Jan 2005 17:30:55 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Cv17F-00030V-CV for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 29 Jan 2005 17:30:53 -0500 Original-Received: from [131.204.53.104] (helo=manatee.dms.auburn.edu) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1Cv0Sx-0003Bh-KH for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 29 Jan 2005 16:49:15 -0500 Original-Received: from raven.dms.auburn.edu (raven.dms.auburn.edu [131.204.53.29]) by manatee.dms.auburn.edu (8.12.10/8.12.10) with ESMTP id j0TLnF9N017799; Sat, 29 Jan 2005 15:49:15 -0600 (CST) Original-Received: (from teirllm@localhost) by raven.dms.auburn.edu (8.11.7p1+Sun/8.11.7) id j0TLm4S09241; Sat, 29 Jan 2005 15:48:04 -0600 (CST) X-Authentication-Warning: raven.dms.auburn.edu: teirllm set sender to teirllm@dms.auburn.edu using -f Original-To: monnier@iro.umontreal.ca In-reply-to: <87d5vo7xsw.fsf-monnier+emacs@gnu.org> (message from Stefan Monnier on Sat, 29 Jan 2005 16:06:34 -0500) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:32630 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:32630 Stefan Monnier wrote: What Han's problem suggests is that we may want to add some variable that points to the director*ies* whose files should be considered "temporary". Well, I guess that Emacs needs _one_ directory in which it puts temporary files. In as far as the other directories where files "should be considered temporary", it is not clear what conclusions should be drawn out of that. Apparently the conclusions drawn out of it are that one should make no backup files there (something with which some users seem to strongly disagree, as I have noticed in some bug reports) and that these files should keep using the edited version of the file, if the file is edited. The latter happens automatically if backup-by-copying is true and if and only if a backup is made if backup-by-copying is nil. I personally believe that the best solution would be to have a customizable list of directories in which no backups are made. The default _could_ be the list of directories in which files should be considered temporary. Actually, the principle of least surprise would suggest the empty list as default. (Apparently some users have been surprised and heavily inconvenienced when they found out that the backup file they badly needed was not there in tmp.) One could also use a customizable list of directories where backups are made by copying, even if backup-by-copying is nil. That one would consist by default of the files in those temporary directories. Sincerely, Luc.