RE: Proposed additional scrolling functions

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

> (defun up-one () (interactive) (scroll-up 1))
> (defun down-one () (interactive) (scroll-down 1))
> (global-set-key [M-up] 'down-one)
> (global-set-key [M-down] 'up-one)
> 
> I've used these all the time for years -- nice way to see a 
> few lines more of a buffer w/o moving point or touching mouse.
> M-up and M-down are unbound previously, except inside org-mode,
> when it would be fine to override.  What about incorporating
> these into emacs trunk, in (?) simple.el and bindings.el?

FWIW, I use M-up/down/left/right to incrementally resize frames.

There are probably lots of other natural-seeming uses of such keys to
incrementally alter something. Why single out scrolling for a default binding?

These are the kind of bindings that we just should leave to users, IMO. It's not
hard to do what you or I have done.

Of course a user can always override a default binding. But when a key is
predefined by Emacs, its use tends to become standard practice. 3rd-party
libraries can then be more hesitant to redefine that key. There is always
someone who will complain that the library is overriding a sacrosanct standard
binding.

Hardly a week goes by that someone doesn't propose binding additional keys by
default. This week's candidates alone included C-+, C-=, C--, C-mouse-4,
C-mouse-5, C-mousewheel, C-x C+, C-x C--, C-x C-=, C-x C-0, C-v, next, M-v,
prior, M-up, and M-down. Four of these (so far) have been added to the default
bindings.

Why am I reminded of endangered species and depletion of fossil hydrocarbons?
;-)

Here are some practices that might reduce some of the pressure on our
diminishing global key resources and IOdiversity:

- Bind keys in minor-mode maps, instead of globally.
- Just suggest bindings, in a library Commentary.
- Suggest bindings on Emacs Wiki.

If a suggested key binding seems to be in widespread use after a couple of
years, then we can consider making it a default binding. We can take our cue
from the habits and preferences of real users.

"In wildness is the preservation of the keys." - apologies to
http://thoreau.eserver.org/walking2.html#wild