From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: David Kastrup Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Emacs FAQ for Emacs 22.1 Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2005 14:00:32 +0100 Message-ID: <85y82nkf4f.fsf@lola.goethe.zz> References: NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1134583025 32623 80.91.229.2 (14 Dec 2005 17:57:05 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2005 17:57:05 +0000 (UTC) Cc: Alexander Klimov , emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Wed Dec 14 18:57:03 2005 Return-path: Original-Received: from [199.232.75.2] (helo=lists.gnu.org) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1EmanJ-0004Jx-Na for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Wed, 14 Dec 2005 18:52:02 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1EmalP-0003rw-A8 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Wed, 14 Dec 2005 12:50:03 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1EmWaD-0001zc-EW for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 14 Dec 2005 08:22:13 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1EmWIW-0004K9-1W for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 14 Dec 2005 08:04:34 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1EmWFa-0003cC-OD for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 14 Dec 2005 08:00:55 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.164] (helo=fencepost.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1EmWHf-00016C-1D for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 14 Dec 2005 08:03:03 -0500 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lola.goethe.zz) by fencepost.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1EmWDa-0001n8-SL; Wed, 14 Dec 2005 07:58:51 -0500 Original-Received: by lola.goethe.zz (Postfix, from userid 1002) id 107D81C4CCE5; Wed, 14 Dec 2005 14:00:32 +0100 (CET) Original-To: rms@gnu.org In-Reply-To: (Richard M. Stallman's message of "Wed, 14 Dec 2005 00:12:09 -0500") User-Agent: Gnus/5.11 (Gnus v5.11) Emacs/22.0.50 (gnu/linux) 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 X-Broken-Reverse-DNS: no host name found for IP address 199.232.75.2 Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:47695 Archived-At: "Richard M. Stallman" writes: > If `M-x customize-variable' is the preferred method then probably we > should replace things like > > Place the following Lisp form in your `.emacs' file: > > (setq scroll-step 1) > > with > > Use M-x customize-variable to set scroll-step to 1 > > I am not sure. Perhaps either way is ok, or it may depend > on the context. While it depends in some manner on the context (the latter alternative is certainly not helpful when talking about Lisp data structures and programming practices), I think that with regard to .emacs forms, we should generally prefer advertising Custom. It saves us from dealing with trouble from people who have in good faith used the wrong set-form on some variable (when does one need to use setq-default?), and who have, because of a lack of acquaintance with Lisp data structures, used the wrong or illegal sexp on the right hand side of stuff. People who use setq should be comfortable with reading and interpreting the documentation of variables. So I think that in the Emacs manual, we should generally focus on using customize. There is nothing wrong with a chapter "how to achieve things with Lisp in your .emacs by hand" or so (cars come with service manuals, too), but for the general practice, I'd strongly suggest we recommend using the knobs and dials provided for the user where available instead of recommending fiddling with the engine yourself. -- David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum