Re: desktop.el: autosave?

[Reuben Thomas <rrt@sc3d.org>]

On Tue, 11 Dec 2007, Juri Linkov wrote:

>> On Tue, 11 Dec 2007, Juri Linkov wrote:
>>
>>> There is no sense to remove history saving from desktop.el if there
>>> happens to exist a package that duplicates a part of its functionality.
>>> Why put an additional hassle on users of desktop.el with more configuration?
>>
>> What's the point of having two completely different ways of doing exactly
>> the same thing? This is confusing. ISn't there some way to resolve that?
>
> There are many packages in Emacs that have similar functionality.
> But there are no problems with that.  Every package has its own users.

This is a different question from the rest, but it seems that here (and in 
other places, doubtless) there is the opportunity to reduce duplication and 
make Emacs simpler for everyone to understand. Sometimes, there is an 
obvious reason for having two packages that perform a similar task, as for 
example with different modes for editing the same language that have a 
different approach. In other cases, there's little obvious reason, the 
reason seems to be mainly historical, and if duplicate functionality can be 
merged then we make Emacs better for everyone.

Or is the general attitude that once a feature gets into Emacs, then it 
should stay there to avoid annoying users who rely on it? I understand this 
too, but I think it's a pity if it becomes a reason never to remove 
anything.

-- 
http://rrt.sc3d.org/ | Enlightenment is understanding becoming belief