From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Richard Stallman Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Changed outside --> set, in Customize UI Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2005 14:17:42 -0500 Message-ID: References: Reply-To: rms@gnu.org NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1108237591 26422 80.91.229.2 (12 Feb 2005 19:46:31 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2005 19:46:31 +0000 (UTC) Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sat Feb 12 20:46:30 2005 Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1D03D2-0002Yj-VK for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sat, 12 Feb 2005 20:45:41 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1D03SE-00075L-NI for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sat, 12 Feb 2005 15:01:22 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1D03Nk-0005O0-Lu for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 12 Feb 2005 14:56:44 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1D03MG-0004vo-Q3 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 12 Feb 2005 14:55:18 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1D03M8-0004qm-Ru for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 12 Feb 2005 14:55:04 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.164] (helo=fencepost.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1D02pn-0001eN-B6 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 12 Feb 2005 14:21:39 -0500 Original-Received: from rms by fencepost.gnu.org with local (Exim 4.34) id 1D02ly-0002li-P7; Sat, 12 Feb 2005 14:17:42 -0500 Original-To: "Drew Adams" In-reply-to: X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org X-MailScanner-To: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:33308 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:33308 But we have no choice: _If_ we try to determine _by code_ who is doing the deciding, then we need some objective criterion (we don't want to ask the user, about each change that is made, "Did you intend Why do we need to discuss this question? I thougth we were talking about a question of advice to programmers. Advice to programmers does not need to be based on a mechanical distinction. You seem to agree in general, but you also seem to suggest that the particular program code could be examined to determine intention - if it offers the user a choice, then presumably the user is in charge; if it does not, then the _program is deciding_. Is that what you mean? That seems to be pretty close to a restatement of what I said. Whether it is exactly equivalent, I am not sure. I am overloaded today and your message is too long for me to read. Sorry, I don't have much time available for this now.