From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Alan Mackenzie Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Documentation for "Clone Buffers" (corrected version) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 14:55:54 +0000 (GMT) Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: deer.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1079204337 22591 80.91.224.253 (13 Mar 2004 18:58:57 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2004 18:58:57 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Sat Mar 13 19:58:48 2004 Return-path: Original-Received: from quimby.gnus.org ([80.91.224.244]) by deer.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1B2ELQ-0004yX-00 for ; Sat, 13 Mar 2004 19:58:48 +0100 Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by quimby.gnus.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1B2ELQ-0001Kg-00 for ; Sat, 13 Mar 2004 19:58:48 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.30) id 1B2EGH-0004Xg-S2 for emacs-devel@quimby.gnus.org; Sat, 13 Mar 2004 13:53:29 -0500 Original-Received: from list by monty-python.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.30) id 1B2CR2-0008M6-Ot for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 13 Mar 2004 11:56:28 -0500 Original-Received: from mail by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.30) id 1B1Wip-0002u1-Js for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 11 Mar 2004 15:24:35 -0500 Original-Received: from [193.149.49.134] (helo=acm.acm) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.30) id 1B1Wig-0002rV-P4 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 11 Mar 2004 15:23:55 -0500 Original-Received: from localhost (root@localhost) by acm.acm (8.8.8/8.8.8) with SMTP id OAA00318 for ; Thu, 11 Mar 2004 14:55:54 GMT X-Sender: root@acm.acm Original-To: emacs-devel@gnu.org In-Reply-To: X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.4 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:20396 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:20396 On Wed, 10 Mar 2004, Richard Stallman wrote: > I'm rather surprised at the preference for leaving an Emacs command > like `clone-buffers' _undocumented_. Does this perhaps signal an > intention to remove this command from Emacs? If so, why? >Just because someone added the command does not mean we have to put it >in the Emacs manual. I find that truly surprising. The quality of the Emacs documentation is one of its most attractive features. Certainly when compared with the dire gobbledygook which accompanies some proprietary competitors. >The Emacs manual does not attempt to document all Emacs features. >Probably half of them are not included. It would be a bad idea to add >them; that would make the book too expensive. Please don't think they >are "missing". Ah, right, the book. I hadn't thought of that, and most people round emacs-devel probably never use it anyway. But it's presumably an important source of income for the FSF. It would seem there are three desirable attributes goals for the manual: 1/- It should be complete and accurate. 2/- The printed and online versions should be the same. 3/- The printed version should not be too big. We can decide upon any two of these, but we can't have all three at the same time. :-( Those undocumented features _are_ missing from the manual. But it's good to know that there's a sound reason for this, rather than just forgetfulness on the part of developers. Thanks for the elucidation. -- Alan Mackenzie (Munich, Germany)