RE: Icicles stealing keybindings

[Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>]

> so I'm learning Icicles, and I like it quite a bit.  I have one
> problem, however: it steals *lots* of keybindings I'm accustomed
> to.

If you set option `icicle-top-level-keybindings' to nil then
Icicles will not bind *any* top-level key bindings.

By default, it will still bind keys in minibuffer keymaps, but
there are options that make it simple to prevent that as well.
(Nearly all such keys are unbound in vanilla Emacs minibuffer maps
anyway, so there's nothing really being "stolen" here.)

See the Icicles doc, section ... (wait for it) ... `Key Bindings'.

Hit `M-?' from the minibuffer, then click the link `[Icicles Doc,
Part 2]'.  If Emacs Wiki were not down currently then I would
point you also to http://www.emacswiki.org/Icicles_-_Key_Bindings
(I think that's the URL).

> Of course, if Org-mode uses C-c ', it's Org-mode's fault (AFAIK,
> newer versions of Org change some of the keybindings, but I'm not
> sure exactly), since (AFAIK, again) it is reserved for minor modes.

Yes, `C-c '' is reserved for minor modes.  But you can still have
a conflict among different minor modes for keys like that one.

It is trivial to remove that binding for Icicles or to assign a
different binding.  Again: option `icicle-top-level-key-bindings'.

> What got me a bit angry, after finally installing Emacs 25, is
> that Icicles steals C-x SPC.

Don't get angry before you read the doc. ;-)

Actually, it was vanilla Emacs 24.4 that "stole" key `C-x SPC'.
It was undefined until then.  Icicles has bound it by default
since 2007.  Anyway, again: `icicle-top-level-key-bindings'.

> Now obviously I'm aware that you can change all keybindings,
> including Icicles' ones;

I think you'll find that it is particularly easy to change
Icicles key bindings.  (You don't even need to know Lisp.)

Start with the doc, section `Key Bindings', so you get an idea
what key-binding options are available. The only one you need
for top-level keys is `icicle-top-level-key-bindings'.

> ... reasonable solution of the conflicting keys problem, so
> that I don't have to reinvent the wheel?

You don't have to reinvent anything.  You just need to decide
what works for you.  Different people use different libraries
that might lead to different key conflicts.  And different
people have different preferences wrt keys.  It's up to you
what bindings you use.

> (Also, now that I use Icicles, I do not understand why would
> anyone use Ido.  But that's another story.)

Again, different folks can have different needs and different
preferences. ;-)

Sorry for your trouble.  Please spend a few minutes with
`Key Bindings' in the doc, and I think you might feel better.