Re: propose adding Icicles to Emacs

[Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org>]

    My suggestion is to proceed in two stages: 1) take Icicles (i.e. add it to
    Emacs) as a bundle now, offering it to general Emacs users as a separate,
    optional package with its current functionality and design,

I have explained already why this is a bad idea.
It is not an option, because it adds a lot of unmodular code.

Icicles was implemented as an add-on, and to work with no changes
at the C level.  The right way to implement the features in Emacs
is different.

    An alternative (to my two-stage proposal, plan A), which I do not prefer but
    which could also be workable for me, is for you not to add Icicles to Emacs,
    but to instead take some of its ideas and add them in your own manner to
    Emacs.

In effect, you have declined to help with installing these features in
the right way.  I'm disappointed, but we can't make you do it.

We'll just have to see whether other people decide to do it.

There is another option: start with Icicles, rework it until its
implementation is clean and modular, and install that.  For some of
the features, this may be easier.  It too will wait for volunteers,
though.

    You explained no such thing. You asked "how does it know what to call?", "is
    it the same command?", etc. You asked if every command couldn't be
    automatically converted to a multi-command. I responded to all of this in
    detail - you have not replied to any of that.

That may have been true at the time you wrote it.  It takes a long time
for me to answer mail.  My response to that message went out in the same
transfer in which your premature rebuke came in.