Re: use-package

[phillip.lord@russet.org.uk (Phillip Lord)]

Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com> writes:

>> Currently my mode lighter is
>> 
>> Message pab MML yas Helm Abbrev Fill Narrow
>> 
>> pab == pabbrev is my own abbrev mode, but diminished
>> MML == is attachement
>> yas == yasnippet diminished
>> Helm == Completion
>> Abbrev == Another abbrev expansion
>> Fill == auto fill.
>> Narrow == is narrowing
>> 
>> Of these, pab is global, so why show it?
>
> Why might a user want to show the lighter for a global minor
> mode?  Some minor modes you will turn on and off, perhaps
> even frequently.  For some of those you might well want to
> know whether it is on or off.
>
> This is no different than for a local minor mode, such as
> overwrite mode.  You might well want to know whether a
> particular mode is on.
>
> It can depend on the mode and on the user.  There is no
> one-size-fits-all, IMHO.  And that is true of global modes
> as well as local ones.
>
>> Only "Fill" tells me anything useful, since I turn this on and off in
>> the same buffer, and "Message", since knowing the mode is good.
>
> What's useful to see depends on the user and on the context.
> That's really the point, IMO.
>
> A library can of course choose not to have a lighter for some
> mode (local or global).  But in the end, users too need to be
> able to easily adjust things to suit their tastes and needs.

At the moment, though, I think developers add a lighter because it's
just the way that things are done. Perhaps the default advice should be
"do not add a lighter to your mode, unless it's useful".

Phil