Re: `C-b' is backward-char, `left' is left-char - why?

[Andy Moreton <andrewjmoreton@gmail.com>]

On Thu 02 Jun 2011, Eli Zaretskii wrote:

>> From: Andy Moreton <andrewjmoreton@gmail.com>
>> Date: Thu, 02 Jun 2011 11:38:12 +0100
>> 
>> On Thu 02 Jun 2011, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> Maybe the following variant of the 2nd sentence sounds better:
>
>   The effect on the screen is to place the cursor on the character N
>   buffer positions forward, which could be to the left or to the
>   right, depending on the bidirectional context.
>
> That's because Emacs doesn't really move point one character at a
> time (when N is more than 1).

I think that is definitely clearer than what we have now.

Similar wording is also needed for backward-char, left-char and
right-char as well. E.g. for right-char:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
(right-char &optional N)

Move point N characters to the right (to the left if N is negative). On
reaching beginning or end of buffer, stop and signal error.

The effect on the buffer is to place the cursor on the character N
screen positions to the right, which could be forward or backward from
the current position, depending on the bidirectional context.
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---


    AndyM