Re: GNU Emacs: Client/Server

[lorentey@elte.hu (Lőrentey Károly)]

Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> writes:
> I feel like the best way forward is to support TCP sockets rather than only
> unix sockets.  This would be an improvement under Unix and would give us
> W32 support "for free".

What improvement would it provide under a GNU or UNIX system?  I think
everything that the TCP server implementation would provide is already
not just possible, but secure and convenient with ssh.

In a multi-user system, it is possible that dozens of Emacs servers
are run simultaneously by different users.  How would emacsclient
decide which network port the user's own instance listens on?  Having
to remember arbitrary network port numbers is IMO not very
user-friendly.  I think

        client$ ssh server emacsclient <args>

is much more convenient than

        client$ emacsclient --host server --port 24352 <args>

Furthermore, the former command already works nicely, and it supports
opening new Emacs frames on the client side---both X and (in my arch
branch) terminal frames.  Implementing something similar in the raw
TCP case would require extensive changes that are IMHO simply not
worth the effort.

UNIX domain sockets are useful and secure; I don't see why they should
be abandoned.

-- 
Károly