bug#27932: 26.0.50; Feature request: prevent scroll commands from changing the buffer location of point

[Dani Moncayo <dmoncayo@gmail.com>]

On Fri, Aug 4, 2017 at 8:14 AM, Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> wrote:
> [Did you really mean to make this a private email?]

Oh no.  Sorry.  I'm adding the ticket address back.

>> > It would require a complete rewrite of most of the display engine
>> > code.  The Emacs display engine is based on the principle that point
>> > should always be visible, so whenever it becomes invisible, Emacs
>> > scrolls the window to make it visible again.  The display code checks
>> > this in many places, and they all will need to be changed in some, yet
>> > unspecified, way.
>>
>> I was afraid of the above.  Well it's your call to judge if this is worth it.
>
> I don't have anything against coding such a feature, but I myself
> won't be doing that any time soon, if ever.  It's just a too large
> project for my resources, and my motivation for doing this is zero,
> since I'm always annoyed by this behavior I find in MS Word.

I see.   :-(   :-)

>> > Emacs provides the mark and "C-x C-x" as a way to jump between two
>> > locations without requiring the feature you describe.  If the purpose
>> > of what you want is some other use case, I think it would be good to
>> > have it described.
>>
>> I can see several benefits in the requested feature:
>> * To have a way to explore a buffer without seeing a distracting
>> cursor jumping around.
>
> "Distracting cursor"?  If it distracts you, you can make it a bar
> instead of a block.

I want the cursor to be a block, so I can spot it easily on the
screen.  But I don't want to see it when I'm doing a "exploring trip"
in the buffer.

>> * To have a behavior which is standard in may other editors (where the
>> position of the cursor wrt the text is not altered by scrolling
>> commands).
>
> That's not a reasoning for the feature, because it doesn't provide any
> rationale in terms of utility.

Well, the point is that the requested behavior is a standard one among
many other editors.  I think this is something relevant to consider.

>> * To have an intuitive, quick and convenient way to explore the
>> neighborhood of point (e.g. using C-v, M-v or the mouse-wheel) and
>> then "return" (move the viewport back) to the point.
>
> How is this different from "C-x C-x"?

Well, it is similar, but "C-x C-x" requires you to push the mark
before you leave.  And users with little experience in Emacs may be
used to this workflow from their experience in other editors.

-- 
Dani Moncayo