RE: [External] : Re: Current mode command discovery

[Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>]

> > > Speaking of a symbol property...
> > >
> > > IMHO, all of the shenanigans undertaken recently
> > > to provide command enabling/filtering should be
> > > replaced by simply using a property on command
> > > symbols.  (Maybe more than one property, if you
> > > really need something complex for some reason.)

Eli> Lars still doesn't think it is better (I disagree).

> > > I realize that this has already been suggested.
> > > The threads are long and rambling, and I may well
> > > have missed something, but I don't recall any
> > > good reason given for rejecting this approach.
> >
Eli> Lars gave his reasons, but I don't consider
Eli> them to be good enough.
> 
> A succinct relisting of those reasons would be
> good, IMO.  I, for one, completely missed them.
> 
> There's nothing I'm aware of that's better suited
> for this than using a symbol property.  Simple;
> flexible; usable by any party, anywhere, anytime.
> No mess, no fuss.  No source code changes (except
> to get & test the property).
> 
> What's going on instead -- has been, still is,
> incomplete, and will need updating forever --
> seems complicated, error prone, time-consuming,
> overengineered, and simply not necessary.
> IMHO.  (But what do I know?)

Is it really too late to turn this bombing mission
around & reconsider?  Can we, instead of modifying
zillions of Emacs source files, with judgments made
at code-defining time, just use a symbol property,
which anyone and any library can modify as needed?

This seems like an ocean liner where a paddle-boat
is called for, at most.  Une véritable usine à gaz.

The closer you look into trying to implement the
current approach, the more complications you're
finding.

But the main problem is that decisions about what
modes a command gets associated with are being
made centrally, and in source code no less.  How
is that the right approach?

All that's needed, IMO, is the same thing we do
with `delete-selection-mode' or `thing-at-point':
associate whatever we want/need with a command
by attaching a property to its symbol.

Why are we making this so utterly complicated?

I haven't seen a good reason yet.  That whole
"WHY this way?" part seems to have been elided or
glossed over for this gigantic enterprise.

Can't we please reconsider this endeavor - the
how, at least?