From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "Ludwig, Mark" Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: RE: `auto-dim-other-windows` -- scrutiny invited Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2013 15:57:00 +0000 Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: plane.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1365004639 10162 80.91.229.3 (3 Apr 2013 15:57:19 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2013 15:57:19 +0000 (UTC) To: Steven Degutis , "help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org" Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Wed Apr 03 17:57:47 2013 Return-path: Envelope-to: geh-help-gnu-emacs@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 1UNQ4I-0000Am-T9 for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:57:47 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:35619 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1UNQ3t-0007b1-Q9 for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:57:21 -0400 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([208.118.235.92]:50313) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1UNQ3d-0007Xu-O8 for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:57:08 -0400 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1UNQ3c-0005wx-E9 for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:57:05 -0400 Original-Received: from usslmhub002.ugs.com ([134.244.32.85]:21050 helo=ugs.com) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1UNQ3c-0005vB-65 for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:57:04 -0400 Original-Received: from USSLMMBX002.net.plm.eds.com (161.134.138.62) by USSLMHUB002.net.plm.eds.com (134.244.32.85) with Microsoft SMTP Server (TLS) id 14.2.318.1; Wed, 3 Apr 2013 10:57:01 -0500 Original-Received: from USSLMMBX003.net.plm.eds.com ([169.254.2.119]) by USSLMMBX002.net.plm.eds.com ([169.254.1.185]) with mapi id 14.02.0318.001; Wed, 3 Apr 2013 10:57:01 -0500 Thread-Topic: `auto-dim-other-windows` -- scrutiny invited Thread-Index: AQHOL+YAMUoW57o59ECiLzITz/n+pJjE52iA//+8aMA= In-Reply-To: Accept-Language: en-US Content-Language: en-US X-MS-Has-Attach: X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: x-originating-ip: [146.122.71.110] X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: Windows 7 or 8 X-Received-From: 134.244.32.85 X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:89948 Archived-At: > From: Steven Degutis > Sent: Wednesday, April 03, 2013 9:44 AM > Why didn't anything like this exist all this time? I think you're answering your own question in part by going through all the variations and challenges with the various approaches. Another answer is that many Emacs users have been using it for a very long time, and the user base is self-selecting (self-limiting?) by the fundamental nature of the baroque command set and standard keyboard mappings. (Only people with certain kinds of wetware in their heads can handle it successfully. It's certainly not for everyone!) If one can keep track of the hundreds of key strokes and functions necessary to make using Emacs really great, it's not usually much of a problem to remember where the keyboard focus is. For my part, I rarely lose track of where I am, but when I do, my fingers reflexively go for ``C-/'' (undo) until the "damage" is undone, then ``C-x o'' to get focus where I thought it was. Nowadays, I take advantage of the multiple frame support, which reduces the need for splitting a single frame into multiple windows, and most window managers decorate the frame with focus sufficiently to avoid making a mistake. I have to confess to never noticing the change in mode line shading (until this thread)! What /I/ /usually/ notice is whether the cursor is a solid or hollow block.... Cheers, Mark