Re: using libmagic in Emacs?

[Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>]

> From: Stefan Monnier <monnier@IRO.UMontreal.CA>
> Date: Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:11:02 -0400
> Cc: Chong Yidong <cyd@stupidchicken.com>,
> 	Emacs Development <emacs-devel@gnu.org>
> 
> >>> I think it's a good idea.  It may require some non-trivial changes on
> >>> the Lisp side, since libmagic's information is not quite the same as
> >>> what Emacs currently uses: we'll probably want to use libmagic to get
> >>> a MIME-type and then have a table mapping mime-types to major modes or
> >>> some such.
> >> This development would probably have to take place in a separate
> >> branch.
> 
> I don't expect it to be too intrusive, so I think it can be done on the
> trunk, tho of course, each step needs to be planned with care.

So what is the rule for new features that can be installed on the
trunk at this time?  I thought only relatively minor and safe ones,
but this one seems to break that rule, at least in my book.  If this
one is okay, then why not something like bidirectional editing, for
example?

Maybe we should simply decide right here and now that Emacs 23.2 will
be delivered from the RC branch, and open the trunk for all changes,
even not-so-safe ones?