Please reconsider removing the `defadvice' doc (ref: bug #16491)

Please reconsider removing the `defadvice' doc (ref: bug #16491)

[Drew Adams]

You want to push your replacement for `defadvice'.  OK, that's
presumably all well and good.  No doubt it is the best thing
since sliced bread (ou le fil a couper le beurre).

But it is a real disservice to users to have removed all of
the information about using `defadvice' from the Elisp manual.
I *really* hope you will reconsider this decision.

Lots of users write or maintain code that works across multiple
Emacs versions, including code that uses `defadvice'.  Caring
about Emacs users means not throwing obstacles at them
unnecessarily.  Making them hold onto Emacs 24.3 just to have
access to the `defadvice' doc is uncalled-for annoyance.

Such archaeological digging by users should not be necessary.
I can imagine some newbie developer having such a mindset, but
it is disappointing - and yes, shameful - that the leadership
of GNU Emacs has come to this.

At least please consider making this doc available as a
separate Info manual, if you insist on not letting users see
it in the Elisp manual.  Call it "Stupid-Old-Defadvice Manual"
if you like.  Discourage using `defadvice' anyway you like,
short of depriving users of information about it.

And no, "I kept the 60KB of docs in the Commentary section
of advice.el" is *not* an answer.  You might as well have
said that you tossed 600 kilos of old literature in the
dumpster.  "60 KB"!  What an attitude!

And no, this is not about me.  I keep multiple Emacs versions
anyway.  It is only a relatively minor annoyance to have to
bring up an older version to get to this doc.

Not everyone who uses or wants to understand `defadvice' in
existing code will keep multiple Emacs versions, or will know
what version to backtrack to, to find this doc.  And even a
minor annoyance imposed gratuitously on lots of users is
better avoided, especially for something as important and
complex as advising functions.

Bug #16491, with the same request to restore this doc, was
marked "done" back in January.  Is "done" the new "wont-fix"?

According to NEWS, `defadvice' is not even deprecated.  And
even if it were to become deprecated, it would presumably
- it should - continue to be supported for quite some time.
And documented.

Re: Please reconsider removing the `defadvice' doc (ref: bug #16491)

[Stefan Monnier]

tag BUGNB dejavu
thanks

Re: Please reconsider removing the `defadvice' doc (ref: bug #16491)

[Richard Stallman]

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I agree that this doc should be kept in an auxiliary manual.

-- 
Dr Richard Stallman
President, Free Software Foundation
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