From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Richard Stallman Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: delete-selection-mode Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:27:12 -0400 Message-ID: References: <87ocitw2dl.fsf@stupidchicken.com><201003130001.o2D01FFQ003489@godzilla.ics.uci.edu><87vdd1yqe4.fsf@stupidchicken.com> <87eijjzrkd.fsf_-_@mail.jurta.org><20100317143519.GB4381@muc.de><22603146-A346-4FC2-8D74-5D6047865C3A@mit.edu> <87r5nf8s7q.fsf@siart.de> Reply-To: rms@gnu.org NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-15 X-Trace: dough.gmane.org 1269210446 16998 80.91.229.12 (21 Mar 2010 22:27:26 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@dough.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:27:26 +0000 (UTC) Cc: usenet@siart.de, emacs-devel@gnu.org To: "Drew Adams" Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sun Mar 21 23:27:21 2010 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1NtTc9-0006s8-3E for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sun, 21 Mar 2010 23:27:21 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:42210 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1NtTc8-0004sf-FJ for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:27:20 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1NtTc4-0004sP-78 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:27:16 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (port=46951 helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1NtTc2-0004qq-SN for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:27:14 -0400 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1NtTc1-0007G0-IH for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:27:14 -0400 Original-Received: from fencepost.gnu.org ([140.186.70.10]:51693) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1NtTc1-0007Fs-92 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:27:13 -0400 Original-Received: from rms by fencepost.gnu.org with local (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1NtTc0-0000c4-68; Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:27:12 -0400 In-reply-to: (drew.adams@oracle.com) X-detected-operating-system: by monty-python.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 2.6 (newer, 3) 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:122422 Archived-At: 1. Is the proper comparison here merely the _number_ of (ordinary) users in each camp? Shouldn't the _relative cost_ in pain and suffering be factored in? We should consider that. If you teach a beginner to use Emacs, you can take note of the details of the scenario and how the person reacts. I expect that the pain will be similar in the two cases, because in both cases it does something undesired to your text and you need to fix it. 3. Also, Alan's sister reportedly does _not_ use type-to-replace outside Emacs, in any case. She explicitly hits the delete key before typing replacement text. IOW, she has presumably already learned to avoid the pain for the most part. Can we assume the same would likely be true of the other users in her camp? Whether they have all learned habits to protect themselves against the painful situation is relevant, as you say. However, the practice of typing DEL explicitly when she wants to delete does not protect against an unintended deletion when she doesn't want that.