Re: Tried to bind Ctrl-c and to kill-ring-save (i.e. copy) and it *sometimes* doesn't work with mouse!?!? Very confusing

[Bob Proulx <bob@proulx.com>]

Drew Adams wrote:
> Emanuel Berg wrote:
> > Also, it is best to drop mouse use entirely, for the same (and
> > other) reasons.
> >
> > If you want to highlight a region, you can use M-h (repeatedly, if
> > needed), or you can use C-SPC to set the mark, and then move the
> > cursor with, for example, C-n/p.
> 
> There you go again.  That's silly  (and irrelevant to the OP question).
> 
> It is not "best" to *not* use the mouse to select text, just as it is
> not "best" to *use* the mouse to select text.

I must throw myself into Emanuel's camp on this.  Because a person
might ask me, "How can I use my gas powered lawn mower as a hedge
trimmer."  (Check Snopes.)  I don't care if that is the OP's original
question or not.  I am most definitely not going to give them the
answer to the question they have asked!  I am however going to try to
direct them as to a better way to do the task in a safe and efficient
way doing it completely different from the way they have asked.

I don't like cua mode either and I dread the inevitable day when it
becomes the Emacs default setting.  I have no problem with people
using word for an editor because using other editors does not affect
me.  Right up until I am overwhelmed by users of other editors who
cause changes to my editor which does affect me.  Sigh.

> For some selection use cases, nothing beats the Emacs mouse (which is
> not your grandmother's mouse, BTW).  For other use cases, keyboard
> selection can be better.
> ...
> The real point, however, is that it is not necessarily the "best" idea
> to advise newbies to adopt your particular preferences as the "best"
> way to use Emacs.  It is one thing to say "I prefer XYZ" or "I do it
> this way".  It is another thing to preach your way as The One True Way.
> ...

When people ask questions on the Internet they often get answers from
the Internet.  Some of those answers will be useful.  Some will be
less useful.  Some will even be dangerous.  This is well known.  The
onus is upon the reader to apply common sense to all.

Because you don't know if the person answering is drunk in a pub or a
skilled expert having given careful thought to the problem.  And even
if the latter the discussion may be confusing and unclear and applied
incorrectly!

In any case I think when people ask questions it is okay to make
suggestions that go beyond the exact question they have asked and to
try to influence them to do something in the way that helps them the
most.  Someone asked me a vi question the other day and I still told
them how I did it in emacs.  They were smart enough to understand the
difference.

Bob