RE: Should delete-window switch to next buffer when there is only one window?

[Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>]

> Currently if you attempt to delete an only window, the following
> message shows up: "Attempt to delete minibuffer or sole ordinary
> window"
> 
> I think that perhaps it would be better if it switched buffers
> instead.  What do you think?

No.  A user who hits `C-x 0' is asking to delete the window.
S?he is not asking to switch to another buffer or buy a beer.

These are very different actions, with different purposes.
Sure, you could combine them, but they don't seem like a useful
combination to me.  You either want to switch to a different
buffer or you do not.  If you do, then you want to do that in
any case, not just when the window is alone in its frame.

A user who wants to delete the selected window wants to do just
that.  So the error message is appropriate, to let the user know
that it is the sole window in its frame.

Now you might indeed look for something much closer to deleting
the window, when it is alone in its frame.  If you want to get
rid of it in that case too, it's likely that you really want to
get rid of the frame altogether, including its window.

That is likely to be the case if you, like me, use lots of frames,
including for things like pop-up windows that you do want to just
remove.  Whereas it does not make sense to try to remove the only
window shown in a frame (hence the error message), it does make
sense to remove a frame.

For that, library `frame-cmds.el' (note the name - it is
especially for people who like to use frames) redefines command
`delete-window' to invoke `delete-frame' when the window is the
only one in its frame.

(Yes, this behavior is maybe not for everyone.  Using the
library is of course optional.  But IMO, this is the behavior
that `delete-window' should have, which is why I redefined it
instead of just remapping its keys for interactive use.)

And I in fact suggest that users of `frame-cmds.el' remap any
keys bound to `delete-window' to command `delete-windows-for'
instead (also defined in `frame-cmds.el').  That command is
just like the redefined `delete-window', except that with a
prefix arg it deletes all windows showing the buffer (anywhere).