From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Stefan Monnier Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Incompatible change without "warning" Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 17:06:38 -0400 Message-ID: References: <16997.28602.876638.54728@farnswood.snap.net.nz> <16998.58339.710430.454702@farnswood.snap.net.nz> <17000.13278.865098.49756@farnswood.snap.net.nz> <17006.1736.406738.121947@farnswood.snap.net.nz> NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1114549539 30202 80.91.229.2 (26 Apr 2005 21:05:39 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 21:05:39 +0000 (UTC) Cc: rms@gnu.org, emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Tue Apr 26 23:05:35 2005 Return-path: Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1DQXDM-0007vJ-JB for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Tue, 26 Apr 2005 23:03:29 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1DQXJ9-0001nI-QA for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Tue, 26 Apr 2005 17:09:27 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1DQXIg-0001iU-2e for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 26 Apr 2005 17:08:58 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1DQXIf-0001i5-BR for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 26 Apr 2005 17:08:57 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1DQXIf-0008GE-9y for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 26 Apr 2005 17:08:57 -0400 Original-Received: from [206.47.199.141] (helo=simmts12-srv.bellnexxia.net) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1DQXKK-0000QF-9Q; Tue, 26 Apr 2005 17:10:40 -0400 Original-Received: from empanada.home ([65.92.240.194]) by simmts12-srv.bellnexxia.net (InterMail vM.5.01.06.10 201-253-122-130-110-20040306) with ESMTP id <20050426210639.KYMA1542.simmts12-srv.bellnexxia.net@empanada.home>; Tue, 26 Apr 2005 17:06:39 -0400 Original-Received: by empanada.home (Postfix, from userid 502) id CBC8952FD72; Tue, 26 Apr 2005 17:06:38 -0400 (EDT) Original-To: Nick Roberts In-Reply-To: <17006.1736.406738.121947@farnswood.snap.net.nz> (Nick Roberts's message of "Tue, 26 Apr 2005 21:15:52 +1200") User-Agent: Gnus/5.11 (Gnus v5.11) Emacs/22.0.50 (darwin) 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:36421 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:36421 > The current documentation for these related functions uses different argument > names which I think is confusing: I don't think it's confusing: - `defvaralias' creates a variable alias. Neither of the two variables is known to be "old" or "new" or "obsolete". One is the "base", the other is the "alias". - define-obsolete-variable-alias OTOH just *uses* defvaralias in one specific context (in order to preserve backward compatibility witha now obsolete variable), so the names can be more specific. > - Function: defvaralias variable new &optional docstring That would sound wrong to me: the documentation should generally refer to what a function *does*, not to how the function is used. Stefan