Re: "CHANGED outside Customize" in frames customization group

[martin rudalics <rudalics@gmx.at>]

 >     default-frame-alist: Hide Value
 > 	State: CHANGED outside Customize; operating on it here may be unreliable.
 >
 > Can you fix this by calling custom-reevaluate-setting
 > in the appropriate place in startup.el?
 > (With the other calls to it.)

IIUC `custom-reevaluate-setting' can be used to set a variable after
some environment value has been established as for `blink-cursor-mode'.
The situation seems completely different for `default-frame-alist'.  I
know people object, but as it's currently used this variable is simply
not suited for customization.  The first reason is immediately visible
when starting Emacs without your .emacs.  The value is here:

((left-fringe) (right-fringe) (menu-bar-lines . 1) (tool-bar-lines . 1))

I know how to get rid of the -fringe entries.  But I don't know what to
do with the -line entries (which are BTW already there in Emacs 21).
Delete them in the customization buffer, save your settings, restart
Emacs, and here they are again.

A second reason is the function `modify-all-frames-parameters'.  This
function may set `default-frame-alist'.  Customize `tool-bar-mode' or
`fringe-mode' and you will change your `default-frame-alist' settings.

These issues are hardly noticeable for most of us.  Whatever approach
we've chosen to set up this variable, we're hardly going to change its
value often.  A novice user, however, will be confronted with a not very
motivating advice when starting to customize the appearance of frames.