Re: Selection changes in revno 100822

[Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>]

> Date: Sat, 14 Aug 2010 23:33:31 +0100
> From: David De La Harpe Golden <david@harpegolden.net>
> 
> On 14/08/10 23:16, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> 
> > Does this mean I have no way of pasting from the primary selection
> > without using a mouse?
> 
> Yes, no way*, but x11 users don't generally expect to be able to.

Sounds strange, but fine with me.

> >>> Why do we need a separate variable for the clipboard on w32? why not
> >>> reuse select-active-regions?
> >>
> >> Why have the same setting do such grossly different things on different
> >> platforms?
> >
> > Because that makes users' life easier (less customizations when
> > switching platforms; can use the same .emacs without lots of
> > system-type conditionals, etc.).
> 
> Nonsense, it means MORE customisations with MORE system-type 
> conditionals. I'd have to have different settings on w32 to prevent my 
> clipboard being eaten suddenly when I select text.

Your personal preferences are just that--yours and yours alone.
Imposing them on others is not a good idea, and building theories on
them is even worse.

> Also, the emulated primary mechanism in emacs already worked 
> intra-session on w32, it's only in an inter-session context it doesn't 
> work.

There's no such thing as "half-works".  Either it works or it doesn't.
Patches to make primary selection work 100% on Windows are very
welcome.  Until we have that, we will have to use the clipboard as a
replacement for the missing primary selection.

> I don't really care so much so long as x11 isn't broken, but the idea 
> your way makes .emacs more portable rather than less is absurd.

It is absurd only if you don't want compatible behavior.  Like, if you
don't want the clipboard to serve as replacement for the missing
primary selection--that is, you want no interprogram selections at all
on Windows.  It's your prerogative to want that, but I very much doubt
other Windows users will agree with you.