From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Stefan Monnier Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Calc: `*' binds more strongly than `/' Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:40:18 -0400 Message-ID: References: <87y7kvxj6p.fsf@arcor.de> <87odlrkn74.fsf@truman.edu> <87tzvhcul9.fsf@stupidchicken.com> <863b2z2mma.fsf@blue.stonehenge.com> <55350.128.165.123.18.1176926533.squirrel@webmail.lanl.gov> <86ps5zuwmi.fsf@blue.stonehenge.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1177076453 13614 80.91.229.12 (20 Apr 2007 13:40:53 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2007 13:40:53 +0000 (UTC) Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org To: merlyn@stonehenge.com (Randal L. Schwartz) Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Fri Apr 20 15:40:45 2007 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1HetLj-00082j-M6 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Fri, 20 Apr 2007 15:40:31 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1HetQn-0004gD-DA for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:45:45 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1HetQf-0004dG-UL for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:45:38 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1HetQe-0004c7-6v for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:45:37 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1HetQe-0004c3-2b for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:45:36 -0400 Original-Received: from tomts10.bellnexxia.net ([209.226.175.54] helo=tomts10-srv.bellnexxia.net) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1HetLZ-0005e8-Le for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:40:21 -0400 Original-Received: from pastel.home ([74.12.205.57]) by tomts10-srv.bellnexxia.net (InterMail vM.5.01.06.13 201-253-122-130-113-20050324) with ESMTP id <20070420134018.OUOG1723.tomts10-srv.bellnexxia.net@pastel.home> for ; Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:40:18 -0400 Original-Received: by pastel.home (Postfix, from userid 20848) id 95A097F71; Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:40:18 -0400 (EDT) In-Reply-To: <86ps5zuwmi.fsf@blue.stonehenge.com> (Randal L. Schwartz's message of "Fri\, 20 Apr 2007 04\:13\:25 -0700") User-Agent: Gnus/5.11 (Gnus v5.11) Emacs/22.0.97 (gnu/linux) X-detected-kernel: Solaris 8 (1) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:69686 Archived-At: Stefan> In any case, I still haven't heard any concrete reason why the Stefan> non-standard behavior of calc is preferred to the more common Stefan> behavior. > "Backward compatibility" is not a concrete reason? Well, of course, there's this one. But I was looking for one that justifies choosing the current behavior in the first place. > Calc has been around for a *very* long time. Do not needlessly break it. I cannot judge that. I just know that big warnings in the doc about unexpected behavior should usually better be fixed by changing the behavior (when possible). If there are too many existing calc-scripts that would be broken by such a change, fine, but if this only mostly affects interactive use, then changing it would make a lot of sense. Stefan