Re: `C-b' is backward-char, `left' is left-char - why?

[Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>]

> Date: Tue, 31 May 2011 08:18:56 -0600
> From: Davis Herring <herring@lanl.gov>
> Cc: Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>, emacs-devel@gnu.org
> 
> ;; ...load .emacs
> (if (default-value 'bidi-display-reordering)
>     (global-set-key (kbd "<left>") 'left-char)
>   (global-set-key (kbd "<left>") 'backward-char))
> ;; ...and C-f, M-b, M-f, etc.
> 
> along the lines of the other "preference detection" code like that for
> unibyte.
> 
> I don't know if this is a good idea, but it does solve his problem
> without introducing `magic-backward/left-dwim-char' bound to C-b and <left>.

A "good solution", if it exists, should solve the problem of 2
different commands not only for Drew, but for users of bidi as well.
If the problems raised by Drew are serious, they cannot be solved only
for some users, and should certainly be solved in the default
configuration.