bug#16764: 24.3.50; Insertion point stops flashing when Emacs not hung -- please reconsider this new default behaviour

[nljlistbox2@gmail.com (N. Jackson)]

Since I started using Emacs 24.3.50 I've noticed that the insertion
point stops flashing after about a dozen blinks (ten apparently). Every
time this happens I'm flooded with anxiety over how much work I will
have lost now that Emacs has crashed! After a while I realised this
happens predictably and the Emacs hasn't actually crashed. But that
hasn't lessened the waves of unconscious anxiety when it happens. In
fact I simply concluded that Emacs is unstable and was temporarilly
hanging frequently but briefly.

However, today, while doing a careful reading of the NEWS file, I see:

    ** The cursor stops blinking after 10 blinks (by default) on X
    and NS.
    You can change the default by customizing `blink-cursor-blinks'.

So I can get normal behaviour back with a (setq blink-cursor-blinks 0),
so it's not a big deal, but I feel that the wrong default has been
chosen for this variable.

The blinking of the insertion point allows one to locate it quickly --
otherwise it's nigh impossible to find.

[This is especially true if one has the cursor-type set to 'bar, which is
a much easier to use configuration -- otherwise one is constantly having
to remember at which edge of the block cursor the insertion point is,
and which character will be deleted when one uses the backspace key, and
the block cursor is unnecessarilly obrusive/distracting.]

Additionally, from the user's perspective, the blinking of the cursor is
the heartbeat of an application. When it stops, it signals that the
application is dead. This does not seem to be a sensible thing for Emacs
to signal to its users by default.

Unless there is a good reason for turning it off, I would like to
request that you consider leaving it on by default.

Thank you.

Regards,
N.