From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "Drew Adams" Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: RE: faq.texi Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 16:13:59 -0800 Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1140056641 2916 80.91.229.2 (16 Feb 2006 02:24:01 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 02:24:01 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Thu Feb 16 03:24:00 2006 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1F9YoF-0000iJ-Ct for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Thu, 16 Feb 2006 03:23:56 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1F9YoD-0008AU-Py for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Wed, 15 Feb 2006 21:23:53 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1F9Wq5-0002J4-K8 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 15 Feb 2006 19:17:42 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1F9Wq3-0002ED-97 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 15 Feb 2006 19:17:40 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1F9Wmg-0006KJ-3T for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 15 Feb 2006 19:14:10 -0500 Original-Received: from [148.87.113.118] (helo=rgminet01.oracle.com) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS-1.0:DHE_RSA_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA:24) (Exim 4.52) id 1F9Wrg-0003JX-Gl for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 15 Feb 2006 19:19:20 -0500 Original-Received: from rgmsgw300.us.oracle.com (rgmsgw300.us.oracle.com [138.1.186.49]) by rgminet01.oracle.com (Switch-3.1.6/Switch-3.1.6) with ESMTP id k1G0E74A020784 for ; Wed, 15 Feb 2006 17:14:07 -0700 Original-Received: from rgmsgw300.us.oracle.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by rgmsgw300.us.oracle.com (Switch-3.1.7/Switch-3.1.7) with ESMTP id k1G0E7Ih018103 for ; Wed, 15 Feb 2006 17:14:07 -0700 Original-Received: from dradamslap (dhcp-amer-csvpn-gw2-141-144-72-35.vpn.oracle.com [141.144.72.35]) by rgmsgw300.us.oracle.com (Switch-3.1.7/Switch-3.1.7) with SMTP id k1G0E65X018092 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=RC4-MD5 bits=128 verify=NO) for ; Wed, 15 Feb 2006 17:14:07 -0700 Original-To: X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.6604 (9.0.2911.0) In-reply-to: X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1506 Importance: Normal X-Brightmail-Tracker: AAAAAQAAAAI= X-Whitelist: TRUE 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 Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:50594 Archived-At: > For comparing text sections in two different buffers, I > usually select them, `C-x n n', and use ediff on them. For > sections in the same buffer, I sometimes paste one section > into a new buffer and do the same. ediff is the "obvious" method, but it's far too heavyweight, clunky, and awkward for many cases (to tell the truth, I think ediff is too clunky and awkward even for comparing files most of the time). I agree, but I often find that even though I start out doing a simple comparison that doesn't need the heavy lifting of ediff, I can end up appreciating the fact that I'm using it. It would be great to have a simple function that compared two sections of a buffer and maybe added overlays highlighting the equal/different bits; perhaps such a function could share some ediff code. Yes, that could be good. It might be as simple as providing a different interface (or two) to ediff. It's the narrow-to-region, set-up stuff that represents overhead, for me. I don't find ediff too heavy once I'm in it. (OK, then there's needing to exit...) After using ediff as is for decades, I finally threw together a simple case-sensitivity toggle for it (similar to whitespace sensitivity via ##). I now use that toggle all the time, and I wonder how I ever got by without it before. It's amazing how we can get used to doing stuff a particular way, even if it might be simple to make a useful improvement. Once, when I was younger and poorer, I had only one pair of shoes, which gradually wore out. The sole of the left shoe became completely loose from the toe back to about the middle. Well, I had gradually gotten used to walking with those shoes, and I didn't even realize that my gait had adapted to minimize the flopping of the left sole. When I finally bought some new shoes, I was amazed that I had (a little) difficulty walking: it was awkward to get by with a *good* user interface, because I had become so maladapted to the previous bad one. It was a good lesson (but I still don't change buy new shoes often). BTW, there is also `compare-windows', which can be handy at times. But it is limited and has no highlighting. Your use of C-s C-y reminds me of what `compare-windows' does.