Re: Obsoleting end-user-functions

[Chad Brown <yandros@MIT.EDU>]

On Apr 5, 2010, at 6:48 AM, Stefan Monnier wrote:

>>> [C]urrently we don't have any good way to obsolete end-user-functions,
>>> since the obsolescence-info is only used by the byte-compiler
>> Two easy, non-invasive ideas:
>> (1) Have help functions such as describe-function present the o-info
>>    (and maybe apropos could have a very abbreviated notation)
> 
> Done since Emacs-22.  But in my experience most users won't use C-h f on
> a function they already use in their .emacs: that code will just sit
> there to rot until it breaks.
> 
>> (2) Provide a help-obsolete (maybe apropos-obsolete is a better name?)
>>    function which lists all symbols with o-info in apropos style.
> 
> Even less likely to be used.

This seems like a potential place to take advantage of cedet or cedet-like
function marking, in the future.  It won't stop people who never look at their
.emacs files, but if editing your .emacs file caused some functions to be
highlighted in some glaring face, and on mouseover/cursor entry caused
a popup with `OBSOLETE FUNCTION' across the top and a note/link on 
what to use instead, you might have a functional mid-point between just
accepting the function and having it error/signal.

It does seem likely to only catch a small number of users who aren't 
following emacs closely enough to notice when functions are obsoleted
but yet are still changing their .emacs now and then.

Just a thought,
*Chad