Re: not good proposal: "C-z <letter>" reserved for users

[Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support>]

* Marcin Borkowski <mbork@mbork.pl> [2021-02-10 15:46]:
> 
> On 2021-02-10, at 11:36, Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support> wrote:
> 
> > * Gregory Heytings <gregory@heytings.org> [2021-02-09 12:13]:
> >> 
> >> > 
> >> > Emacs is used on console by millions of people. Console itself defines
> >> > C-z as suspend of the job, so C-z is always expecte to suspend the job
> >> > for many programs, not only Emacs.
> >> > 
> >> > [...]
> >> > 
> >> > Those are common job control commands:
> >> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Job_control_%28Unix%29#Commands
> >> > 
> >> 
> >> As you see on that page, C-c also has a standard meaning, which Emacs
> >> doesn't follow.  Besides, the proposal binds "C-z C-z" to "frame-suspend".
> >
> > The proposal is good for Emacs but not good for shell users. Shell is
> > fundamental to Emacs, it is foundation. Shell users expect C-z to work
> > so that other jobs can be run in the shell. Breaking Emacs job is easy
> > by quitting emacs, that has less priority and I do not assume that
> > each job control feature has to be implemented in Emacs.
> 
> It just occurred to me that maybe we can have the pie and eat it, too:
> why not designate `suspend-frame' as disabled by default?  Many Emacs
> commands which may be confusing for beginners are set up this way, and
> that makes sense - a seasoned user can easily enable a command (for the
> current session or for all of them), you don't even have to write
> a single line of Elisp for that.  This way we remove (or at least
> reduce) the danger for someone who does not know what `C-z' does.

From shell point of view C-z shall suspend the job. I do not even
consider C-z being Emacs-based but now I assume it is decision of
Emacs to keep C-z as how it should be in the shell. When opening a new
VPS to process various jobs one would then need to first configure
Emacs to have job control working. That is not useful. It would break
many habits and expected behavior.

There is no danger in shell as C-z almost in all cases means "suspend
job". Any other editor I know in shell is suspended by C-z.

Removing job control to shell users cannot be called a feature, it is
anti-feature.

Jean