Re: Suggested experimental test

[Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support>]

* Gregory Heytings <gregory@heytings.org> [2021-03-22 02:06]:
> > It isn't a small change to remove a feature completely.  When asked to
> > keep _a_ binding, it has been meet with silence and it has been more
> > important to inconvinence users than to listen to them, so I can only
> > assume that this will a similar case for C-o.
> 
> Your assumption is wrong.  Please have a look at the proposed
> experiment: it moves open-line to repeated C-o.

If you have followed my personal usage of C-o from my previous email:

- behavior #1, cursor at beginnin of line, C-o inserts new line, and I
  start typing

- behavior #2, cursor anywhere else on the line, C-a C-o moves to
  beginning of line, opens new line

- behavior #3 is the one explained in 1985 manual, to start typing
  text in the middle of the line while bringin the remainder of text
  down -- this one I do not use

then now please imagine how it would like like with your change:

- behavior #1 above, would require 2 key bindings instead of 1

- behavior #2, above, would require now 3 key bindings instead of 2

- behavior #3 as you explained from 1985 manual, I do not use, almost never

Among all those I would choose the vi like `O' to open new line, but
it does not work within Emacs key binding style.

I am not really fan of moving or customizing any default key bindings,
as for those personal customizations I use either Super key or Hyper
on Caps Lock or C-c LETTER bindings. Reason I am not fan of changing
default key bindings myself is that I wish to have consistent behavior
across multipe operating systems, multiple remote virtual private
servers that run multiple various free operating systems, across
multiple Emacs versions and across multiple Emacs-like editors.

But would I be fan of customizing some default key bindings I would
then replace C-o with C-a C-o like this:

(defun my-C-o ()
  "Opens new line regardless where is cursor positioned."
  (interactive)
  (move-beginning-of-line nil)
  (open-line 1))

(global-set-key (kbd "C-o") #'my-C-o)

But I am not doing that, as I do not like having habit on default key
bindings as that breaks my habits on those other computers where I do
not use any customizations.

Jean