Re: Emacs undo behavior frustrating for new users.

[Joost Kremers <joostkremers@fastmail.fm>]

On Mon, Oct 15 2018, Óscar Fuentes wrote:
> Joost Kremers <joostkremers@fastmail.fm> writes:
>
> [snip]
>> the form of the `undo-tree' package: 
>>
>> <https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/undo-tree.html>
>
> [snip]
>
>> IMvHO `undo-tree' should simply be made the default undo in 
>> Emacs.
>
> In my experience, undo-tree is one of those packages that looks
> impressive when you discover it but finally it is seldom used.

Hmm, it's my default undo system and I wouldn't say I use it only 
rarely. I use the tree visualiser at least a couple of times a 
week.

Honestly, though, I believe any imaginable undo/redo system that 
keeps *all* past states of the buffer accessible would basically 
be a variation of undo-tree. And from a user POV, undo-tree is 
quite straightforward and easy-to-use, IMHO. It certainly has some 
bells and whistles that look impressive but may not be very useful 
in practice, but that doesn't change its basic usefulness.

Grafting a redo on Emacs' current undo system may be possible as 
well, I can't say, but I can't really imagine what such a system 
would look like. That may just be my lack of imagination, of 
course.

> OTOH, some of us experienced catastrophic failures while using 
> undo-tree
> consisting on the disappearance of all undo information.

That's not good, obviously. I never experienced anything like 
that.


-- 
Joost Kremers
Life has its moments