From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Miles Bader Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: proposal to make null string handling more emacs-y Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:34:12 +0900 Message-ID: <87bomgs4kb.fsf@catnip.gol.com> References: <87k414s4t0.fsf@catnip.gol.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: plane.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain X-Trace: dough.gmane.org 1335335662 4064 80.91.229.3 (25 Apr 2012 06:34:22 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@dough.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2012 06:34:22 +0000 (UTC) Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org To: Steve Yegge Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Wed Apr 25 08:34:21 2012 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([208.118.235.17]) by plane.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1SMvnw-0003W1-80 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:34:20 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:34294 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1SMvnv-0006e8-J4 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:34:19 -0400 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([208.118.235.92]:38075) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1SMvns-0006dp-V5 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:34:17 -0400 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1SMvnr-0003ul-BH for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:34:16 -0400 Original-Received: from smtp11.dentaku.gol.com ([203.216.5.73]:35112) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1SMvnr-0003ud-2X; Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:34:15 -0400 Original-Received: from 218.231.154.2.eo.eaccess.ne.jp ([218.231.154.2] helo=catnip.gol.com) by smtp11.dentaku.gol.com with esmtpa (Dentaku) (envelope-from ) id 1SMvnp-0005XV-3R; Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:34:13 +0900 Original-Received: by catnip.gol.com (Postfix, from userid 1000) id 33290DFC1; Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:34:12 +0900 (JST) System-Type: x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu In-Reply-To: <87k414s4t0.fsf@catnip.gol.com> (Miles Bader's message of "Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:28:59 +0900") Original-Lines: 12 X-Virus-Scanned: ClamAV GOL (outbound) X-Abuse-Complaints: abuse@gol.com X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 2.6 (newer, 3) X-Received-From: 203.216.5.73 X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:149980 Archived-At: > * wrong-type-argument (stringp, nil) is, anecdotally speaking, both > the most common error encountered by casual users and the most feared, > because it's incredibly difficult to debug. What's so hard about > debugging it? It prevents Emacs from starting up! Come to think of it, _this_ is a pretty dubious claim too (or rather, it's a collection of dubious claims)... -miles -- `The suburb is an obsolete and contradictory form of human settlement'