C-x & (was: Introducing thread-safe Tramp)

C-x & (was: Introducing thread-safe Tramp)

[Michael Albinus]

Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com> writes:

Hi Drew,

>> This needs to be documented better in the Elisp manual, but first we
>> shall agree how to call this technique. "Prefix argument" is out of the
>> game. Maybe "prefix command"? Or "prefix sequence", as proposed in this
>> thread?
>
> As Richard suggested, don't call it anything. At least do not call it
> any of those things (it's not a command or a prefix key (sequence)).

I'm all for an agreement. But until now I hear only how to NOT call
it. I'd prefer to see a counter proposal.

And of course, "C-x &" invokes a command. This is equivalent to "M-x
universal-async-argument". So I don't see what's wrong with "prefix
command" - it is a command which precedes another command.

> We can, if you want, have a separate discussion, taking our time, to
> decide whether and what to name this.

Subject adapted.

Best regards, Michael.

C-x & (was: Introducing thread-safe Tramp)

[Michael Albinus]

Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> writes:

>> This needs to be documented better in the Elisp manual, but first we
>> shall agree how to call this technique. "Prefix argument" is out of the
>> game. Maybe "prefix command"? Or "prefix sequence", as proposed in this
>> thread?
>
> My favorite so far is "prefix command".

So we are two - see my other message I've just sent, before reading your
message.

> Thanks.

Best regards, Michael.

RE: C-x & (was: Introducing thread-safe Tramp)

[Drew Adams]

> And of course, "C-x &" invokes a command. 

Yes. But invoking a command is not being a command.

> This is equivalent to "M-x universal-async-argument". 

Presumably you mean that using key sequence `C-x &' is equivalent to using `M-x universal-async-argument'. That's another way of saying that `C-x &' invokes command `universal-async-argument'.

If you wanted to call command `universal-async-argument' a "prefix command" you could do so. But `C-x &' is not a prefix command or any other kind of command.

> So I don't see what's wrong with "prefix command" - it is a command which precedes another command.

Command `universal-async-argument', when invoked, precedes invocation of the command bound to the key sequence read by `universal-asyn-argument'. Yes.

And using `C-x &' precedes reading of that second key sequence. But neither of those things make `C-x &' into a command, prefix, postfix, or *fix.

> > We can, if you want, have a separate discussion, taking our time, to
> > decide whether and what to name this.
> 
> Subject adapted.

Thx.

C-x & (was: Introducing thread-safe Tramp)

[Drew Adams]

> > As Richard suggested, don't call it anything. At least do not call it any of
> > those things (it's not a command or a prefix key (sequence)).
> 
> It's definitely a command and it is used before another, so "prefix
> command" sounds about right.

`C-x &' is definitely _not_ a command.

If you want to call the command it's bound to (by default) a "prefix command", that's a different story. But a key sequence is not a command. It might be bound to a command, but it's not a command.

And if a user replaces that key binding by a different one then the command continues to have the same behavior ("prefix command" behavior, if you like), but the key sequence no longer has that behavior.