From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Richard Stallman Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: enriched-mode and switching major modes. Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2004 19:04:31 -0400 Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Message-ID: References: <200409042358.i84Nwjt19152@raven.dms.auburn.edu> <87llfn5ihw.fsf@emacswiki.org> Reply-To: rms@gnu.org NNTP-Posting-Host: deer.gmane.org X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1095116836 18136 80.91.229.6 (13 Sep 2004 23:07:16 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2004 23:07:16 +0000 (UTC) Cc: boris@gnu.org, emacs-devel@gnu.org, alex@emacswiki.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Tue Sep 14 01:06:55 2004 Return-path: Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by deer.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1C6zuQ-0003Du-00 for ; Tue, 14 Sep 2004 01:06:55 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.33) id 1C6zzy-0001T5-J9 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 13 Sep 2004 19:12:38 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.33) id 1C6zyr-00015V-I7 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 13 Sep 2004 19:11:29 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.33) id 1C6zyo-000141-J8 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 13 Sep 2004 19:11:26 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.33) id 1C6zyo-00012j-3U for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 13 Sep 2004 19:11:26 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.164] (helo=fencepost.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1C6zs8-0007VR-GU for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 13 Sep 2004 19:04:32 -0400 Original-Received: from rms by fencepost.gnu.org with local (Exim 4.34) id 1C6zs7-0001Ra-Gf; Mon, 13 Sep 2004 19:04:31 -0400 Original-To: Oliver Scholz In-reply-to: (message from Oliver Scholz on Fri, 10 Sep 2004 21:30:13 +0200) 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: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:27094 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:27094 Word processors assign properties to paragraphs, including defaults for character styles (like the font, the weight etc.); and they support style sheets for that. Why can't we do something like that in Emacs using text properties? We could perhaps have a text property on the whole paragraph that indirects to a list of default properties, and then have other overriding properties on specific characters in the paragraph. Aside from data format, what would be the difference between a "style sheet" and that list of default properties? It is very, very hairy to keep paragraphs, their properties and their representation in an Emacs buffer in sync, not to talk about style sheets. In fact I do think that getting a WP UI right in Emacs is currently impossible. Since you're saying something negative, I think you should fill in the argument for this conclusion. What methods have you considered? Indeed, I believe that in the long run Emacs' display engine should support a real block model. Could you explain more clearly what you mean by that?