From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Stefan Monnier Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: doc elisp intro cross reference fixes Date: 19 Nov 2003 23:53:57 -0500 Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Message-ID: References: <87wua28zux.fsf@zip.com.au> <87ad6vdsxi.fsf@mail.jurta.org> <200311190418.hAJ4ITC02466@raven.dms.auburn.edu> <200311190528.hAJ5SrK02553@raven.dms.auburn.edu> <3FBBD155.2050703@yahoo.com> <200311192238.hAJMcTM06424@raven.dms.auburn.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: deer.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1069304404 22383 80.91.224.253 (20 Nov 2003 05:00:04 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 05:00:04 +0000 (UTC) Cc: ihs_4664@yahoo.com, emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Thu Nov 20 06:00:01 2003 Return-path: Original-Received: from quimby.gnus.org ([80.91.224.244]) by deer.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1AMgvB-0001vC-00 for ; Thu, 20 Nov 2003 06:00:01 +0100 Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by quimby.gnus.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1AMgvA-00084y-00 for ; Thu, 20 Nov 2003 06:00:00 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.24) id 1AMhni-00083j-FG for emacs-devel@quimby.gnus.org; Thu, 20 Nov 2003 00:56:22 -0500 Original-Received: from list by monty-python.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.24) id 1AMhnb-00081G-96 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 20 Nov 2003 00:56:15 -0500 Original-Received: from mail by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.24) id 1AMhn4-0007lC-PG for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 20 Nov 2003 00:56:13 -0500 Original-Received: from [132.204.24.67] (helo=mercure.iro.umontreal.ca) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.24) id 1AMhms-0007dL-Nw for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 20 Nov 2003 00:55:30 -0500 Original-Received: from vor.iro.umontreal.ca (vor.iro.umontreal.ca [132.204.24.42]) by mercure.iro.umontreal.ca (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id hAK4rvbj008323; Wed, 19 Nov 2003 23:53:57 -0500 Original-Received: by vor.iro.umontreal.ca (Postfix, from userid 20848) id 7A3553C63E; Wed, 19 Nov 2003 23:53:57 -0500 (EST) Original-To: Luc Teirlinck In-Reply-To: <200311192238.hAJMcTM06424@raven.dms.auburn.edu> Original-Lines: 34 User-Agent: Gnus/5.09 (Gnus v5.9.0) Emacs/21.3.50 X-DIRO-MailScanner: Found to be clean X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.2 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:17942 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:17942 > 1. Setting the variable with set-variable would not have any effect > other than maybe to confuse Emacs internals or the user. This is Sounds like a bug: if it works via customize-variable, there's not good reason why it can't work with set-variable. > 2. The value is long and/or complex and specifying or editing it in > the minibuffer is going to be awkward. That's a fringe case that nobody has ever complained about, so it's clearly not a big deal. In other words: no harm. > 3. It would be set only in init files. This is one that is > apparently not followed consistently at > all. `inhibit-startup-message' has a `*' in its documentation > string. I doubt that setting it interactively with set-variable > is going to have a lot of effect. Anybody trying to do so is > probably mistakenly believing that it is going to affect future > sessions. And here's an example of my claim that programmers don't understand the distinction. > Basically, everything can be summarized with: "use `*' if and only if > setting the variable with `set-variable' makes sense". I should say > that the fact set-variable itself will indeed not distinguish (not even > for completion) between `*' or no `*' is not very consistent with And the fact that nobody has ever complained about the fact that set-variable can be used on vars that don't have a * (as long as they're defined with `defcustom') indicates that it is not a bad behavior. Stefan