Suggestion: default value of `font-lock-verbose' should be nil

Suggestion: default value of `font-lock-verbose' should be nil

[Dan Davison]

I suggest changing the default value of `font-lock-verbose' to nil. The
fontification messages cause noticeable slowdowns on OS X[1] in certain
situations (e.g. viewing src code blocks in org-mode with
`org-src-fontify-natively' turned on). I suspect that the sorts of users
who might appreciate the output would be able to turn the variable on.

Thanks,
Dan

Footnotes:
[1] I don't know the reason for the platform-specificity.


diff --git a/lisp/font-lock.el b/lisp/font-lock.el
index fe87329..c2620a4 100644
--- a/lisp/font-lock.el
+++ b/lisp/font-lock.el
@@ -276,7 +276,7 @@ decoration for buffers in C++ mode, and level 1 decoration otherwise."
 				      (integer :tag "level" 1)))))
   :group 'font-lock)
 
-(defcustom font-lock-verbose 0
+(defcustom font-lock-verbose nil
   "If non-nil, means show status messages for buffer fontification.
 If a number, only buffers greater than this size have fontification messages."
   :type '(choice (const :tag "never" nil)

RE: Suggestion: default value of `font-lock-verbose' should be nil

[Drew Adams]

> I suggest changing the default value of `font-lock-verbose' 
> to nil. The fontification messages cause noticeable slowdowns
> on OS X[1] in certain situations...
> [1] I don't know the reason for the platform-specificity.

Better to fix those "certain situations" on OS X.  Or, barring that possibility,
change the default value to nil for OS X only.  Consider filing a bug.

IOW, why change the default value for all of Emacs because you ran across a
problem on OS X?  You say that the problem is platform-specific.  So should be
the remedy.

Re: Suggestion: default value of `font-lock-verbose' should be nil

[Stefan Monnier]

> I suggest changing the default value of `font-lock-verbose' to nil.

I'd tend to agree.  I can't think of any reason the user would care
about those messages.  They're much like "garbage collecting" messages,
if you ask me.

> The fontification messages cause noticeable slowdowns on OS X[1] in
> certain situations (e.g. viewing src code blocks in org-mode with
> `org-src-fontify-natively' turned on).

Sounds like a bug that needs fixing, rather than a reason to change the
default of font-lock-verbose.

> I suspect that the sorts of users who might appreciate the output
> would be able to turn the variable on.

Agreed.


        Stefan

Re: Suggestion: default value of `font-lock-verbose' should be nil

[Jambunathan K]

>> The fontification messages cause noticeable slowdowns on OS X[1] in
>> certain situations (e.g. viewing src code blocks in org-mode with
>> `org-src-fontify-natively' turned on).

FWIW, I use Emacs on Windows. Having zero verbosity does improve the
user experience tremedously.

Speaking from Windows side of things, I second Dan's recommendation.

>
> Sounds like a bug that needs fixing, rather than a reason to change the
> default of font-lock-verbose.
>

Jambunathan K.

Re: Suggestion: default value of `font-lock-verbose' should be nil

[Daniel Colascione]

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On 1/10/11 8:32 PM, Jambunathan K wrote:
> 
>>> The fontification messages cause noticeable slowdowns on OS X[1] in
>>> certain situations (e.g. viewing src code blocks in org-mode with
>>> `org-src-fontify-natively' turned on).
> 
> FWIW, I use Emacs on Windows. Having zero verbosity does improve the
> user experience tremedously.

ISTR a "huge performance increase" in garbage collection that came about
solely as a result of making garbage-collection-messages default to nil.
Perception is important.


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Re: Suggestion: default value of `font-lock-verbose' should be nil

[Stefan Monnier]

>>>> The fontification messages cause noticeable slowdowns on OS X[1] in
>>>> certain situations (e.g. viewing src code blocks in org-mode with
>>>> `org-src-fontify-natively' turned on).
>> FWIW, I use Emacs on Windows. Having zero verbosity does improve the
>> user experience tremedously.
> ISTR a "huge performance increase" in garbage collection that came about
> solely as a result of making garbage-collection-messages default to nil.

I don't remember such a huge increase, but I do remember an immediate
stop to the recurring lament that "Emacs is slow, because of GC".

> Perception is important.

Amen,


        Stefan