[Patch] url-cookie-write-file saves versioned backups

[Patch] url-cookie-write-file saves versioned backups

[Diane Murray]

Versioned backups of the cookies file are being saved (contrary to the
intent of the last changes made to url-cookie.el in revision 1.18),
which causes `backup-buffer' to ask for confirmation to delete those
excess backup files.  Additionally, the error "Local variables list is
not properly terminated" occurs when opening the cookies file.  The
following patch corrects this.

I submitted earlier patches using the email <dsm@muenster.de>, if for
some reason that needs to be known.


	* url-cookie.el (url-cookie-write-file): Insert a newline
	character before the Local Variables line.  Set `version-control'
	to never.


*** url-cookie.el	13 Jul 2006 03:53:15 +0200	1.18
--- url-cookie.el	27 Aug 2006 15:25:21 +0200	
***************
*** 168,178 ****
        (insert ")\n(setq url-cookie-secure-storage\n '")
        (pp url-cookie-secure-storage (current-buffer))
        (insert ")\n")
!       (insert "\f;; Local Variables:\n"
                ";; version-control: never\n"
                ";; no-byte-compile: t\n"
                ";; End:\n")
!       (set (make-local-variable 'version-control) t)
        (write-file fname)
        (setq url-cookies-changed-since-last-save nil)
        (kill-buffer (current-buffer))))))
--- 168,178 ----
        (insert ")\n(setq url-cookie-secure-storage\n '")
        (pp url-cookie-secure-storage (current-buffer))
        (insert ")\n")
!       (insert "\f\n;; Local Variables:\n"
                ";; version-control: never\n"
                ";; no-byte-compile: t\n"
                ";; End:\n")
!       (set (make-local-variable 'version-control) 'never)
        (write-file fname)
        (setq url-cookies-changed-since-last-save nil)
        (kill-buffer (current-buffer))))))

Re: [Patch] url-cookie-write-file saves versioned backups

[Richard Stallman]

    Versioned backups of the cookies file are being saved (contrary to the
    intent of the last changes made to url-cookie.el in revision 1.18),
    which causes `backup-buffer' to ask for confirmation to delete those
    excess backup files.

Is that necessarily wrong?

      Additionally, the error "Local variables list is
    not properly terminated" occurs when opening the cookies file.  The
    following patch corrects this.

We should certainly fix that one.
Would someone install that part?

Re: [Patch] url-cookie-write-file saves versioned backups

[Diane Murray]

Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org> wrote:

>     Versioned backups of the cookies file are being saved (contrary
>     to the intent of the last changes made to url-cookie.el in
>     revision 1.18), which causes `backup-buffer' to ask for
>     confirmation to delete those excess backup files.

> Is that necessarily wrong?

I don't know why the original changes were made to disable version
control for the cookies file, but I assume that if it is to be done,
`version-control' as `set' locally in the buffer is supposed to have
the same value as the one inserted into the Local Variables section of
the file.  Right now the former is set to t and the latter is set to
never.

Re: [Patch] url-cookie-write-file saves versioned backups

[Richard Stallman]

    I don't know why the original changes were made to disable version
    control for the cookies file, but I assume that if it is to be done,
    `version-control' as `set' locally in the buffer is supposed to have
    the same value as the one inserted into the Local Variables section of
    the file.  Right now the former is set to t and the latter is set to
    never.

It does seem like a bug to specify two different values for the same
variable in two different ways.  So we should change something.
The question that remains is what value to use.

Who put in the two specifications for these two values,
and what were their motives, and who else saw those reasons and
agreed with them or opposed them.

Re: [Patch] url-cookie-write-file saves versioned backups

[Eric Hanchrow]

>>>>> "Richard" == Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org> writes:

    Richard>     Versioned backups of the cookies file are being saved
    Richard>     (contrary to the intent of the last changes made to
    Richard>     url-cookie.el in revision 1.18), which causes
    Richard>     `backup-buffer' to ask for confirmation to delete
    Richard>     those excess backup files.

    Richard> Is that necessarily wrong?

I think so, because the confirmation prompts seem to appear
asynchronously -- I'll be doing something that has nothing to do with
w3m (like using ERC), and suddenly I'll be asked to delete excess
backups.  And this happens fairly frequently -- perhaps every half
hour.

-- 
But users will not now with glad cries glom on to a language that
gives them no more than what Scheme or Pascal gave them.
        -- Guy Steele, http://www.sun.com/research/jtech/pubs/98-oopsla-growing.ps

Re: [Patch] url-cookie-write-file saves versioned backups

[Richard Stallman]

    I think so, because the confirmation prompts seem to appear
    asynchronously -- I'll be doing something that has nothing to do with
    w3m (like using ERC), and suddenly I'll be asked to delete excess
    backups.  And this happens fairly frequently -- perhaps every half
    hour.

I think that is a good argument, but before deciding, let's give
people time to make other arguments.

Re: [Patch] url-cookie-write-file saves versioned backups

[Stefan Monnier]

> Versioned backups of the cookies file are being saved (contrary to the
> intent of the last changes made to url-cookie.el in revision 1.18),
> which causes `backup-buffer' to ask for confirmation to delete those
> excess backup files.  Additionally, the error "Local variables list is
> not properly terminated" occurs when opening the cookies file.  The
> following patch corrects this.

I'm sorry I messed up the earlier fix, and thank you for setting
me straight.  I've just installed your patch,


        Stefan