From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Stefan Monnier Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: new *Help* argument highlighting Date: 12 May 2004 16:12:32 -0400 Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Message-ID: References: <20040510223059.AE6F.LEKTU@mi.madritel.es> <20040511155531.7604.JMBARRANQUERO@wke.es> NNTP-Posting-Host: deer.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1084395763 18633 80.91.224.253 (12 May 2004 21:02:43 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 12 May 2004 21:02:43 +0000 (UTC) Cc: Juanma Barranquero , emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Wed May 12 23:02:30 2004 Return-path: Original-Received: from quimby.gnus.org ([80.91.224.244]) by deer.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1BO0s2-0005I4-00 for ; Wed, 12 May 2004 23:02:30 +0200 Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by quimby.gnus.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1BO0s1-0007gr-00 for ; Wed, 12 May 2004 23:02:29 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1BO0fz-0000Tg-MS for emacs-devel@quimby.gnus.org; Wed, 12 May 2004 16:50:03 -0400 Original-Received: from list by monty-python.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.34) id 1BO0cH-0007iO-SY for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 12 May 2004 16:46:14 -0400 Original-Received: from mail by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.34) id 1BO06b-0007cm-WE for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 12 May 2004 16:14:05 -0400 Original-Received: from [132.204.24.67] (helo=mercure.iro.umontreal.ca) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1BO05o-0007LK-UH; Wed, 12 May 2004 16:12:41 -0400 Original-Received: from asado.iro.umontreal.ca (asado.iro.umontreal.ca [132.204.24.84]) by mercure.iro.umontreal.ca (Postfix) with ESMTP id A96F0206BD; Wed, 12 May 2004 16:12:33 -0400 (EDT) Original-Received: by asado.iro.umontreal.ca (Postfix, from userid 20848) id E9AFC8C6AE; Wed, 12 May 2004 16:12:32 -0400 (EDT) Original-To: rms@gnu.org In-Reply-To: Original-Lines: 26 User-Agent: Gnus/5.09 (Gnus v5.9.0) Emacs/21.3.50 X-DIRO-MailScanner-Information: Please contact the ISP for more information X-DIRO-MailScanner: Found to be clean X-DIRO-MailScanner-SpamCheck: n'est pas un polluriel, SpamAssassin (score=-0.001, requis 5, BAYES_44 -0.00) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.4 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:23276 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:23276 Honestly, I can't believe we're spending so much energy on printing args in a slightly nicer way: - making sure the new highlighting pleases most people [done]. - making sure the new highlighting is OK in 99& of the environments [already done: including when the user changed the face to not be italics, or when running on a tty.] [left to do: detect X11 systems where the font chosen has no italics version.] - define a new format like @var{foo}. - change the help-mode to fiddle with those and only those. - change the fill code to try and not count the @var{...} annotation. - ... If someone comes up with an actual use for those changes (rather than just minor aesthetics tweaks), maybe I can buy them, but as it stands I find it just a waste of effort. Especially since experience on gnu.emacs.help seems to indicate that most users don't spend that much time and effort reading docstrings. The current convention is simple and safe, and as far as I can tell it's quite sufficient as well. The changes discussed here seem to be about a new convention which is not simple, and more importantly not safe. Stefan