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: Obsolete functions and variables Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:53:46 -0400 Message-ID: References: <18429.40810.598948.654442@kahikatea.snap.net.nz> <18430.39543.722541.830806@kahikatea.snap.net.nz> NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1207878848 23907 80.91.229.12 (11 Apr 2008 01:54:08 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:54:08 +0000 (UTC) Cc: Juanma Barranquero , rms@gnu.org, emacs-devel@gnu.org To: Nick Roberts Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Fri Apr 11 03:54:39 2008 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 1Jk8TO-0003da-83 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Fri, 11 Apr 2008 03:54:38 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Jk8Sk-0000NO-B8 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:53:58 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1Jk8Sg-0000MA-3v for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:53:54 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1Jk8Se-0000Kl-Me for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:53:53 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Jk8Se-0000Kf-Fg for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:53:52 -0400 Original-Received: from ironport2-out.teksavvy.com ([206.248.154.182]) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1Jk8Sa-0002Sj-99; Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:53:48 -0400 X-IronPort-Anti-Spam-Filtered: true X-IronPort-Anti-Spam-Result: AhgFAONg/kfO+KV8/2dsb2JhbACBXal3 X-IronPort-AV: E=Sophos;i="4.25,638,1199682000"; d="scan'208";a="18335161" Original-Received: from smtp.pppoe.ca (HELO smtp.teksavvy.com) ([65.39.196.238]) by ironport2-out.teksavvy.com with ESMTP; 10 Apr 2008 21:53:46 -0400 Original-Received: from pastel.home ([206.248.165.124]) by smtp.teksavvy.com (Internet Mail Server v1.0) with ESMTP id RFM87146; Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:53:46 -0400 Original-Received: by pastel.home (Postfix, from userid 20848) id 809407F35; Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:53:46 -0400 (EDT) In-Reply-To: <18430.39543.722541.830806@kahikatea.snap.net.nz> (Nick Roberts's message of "Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:53:43 +1200") User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/23.0.60 (gnu/linux) X-detected-kernel: by monty-python.gnu.org: Genre and OS details not recognized. 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:94924 Archived-At: >> > Removing them, even after many years, could break some programs >> > that people have not updated. Be careful! >> >> I'm nog going to remove any of them. I should confess that my remark >> was ironic, because I knew Nick was being way too optimistic... > Maybe it was flippant but I don't see any irony. Perhaps obsolete functions > and variables should only be removed after two major releases. I guess > the dangers generally outweigh the advantages but there's not much point in > marking them obsolete if they're never going to be removed. Usually, we look at the obsolete vars&funs, select the really old ones (e.g. the ones that are obsolete since 20.7 or maybe even 21.1) and then check which of these can be safely removed. BTW, could someone update the obsolete/*.el packages by adding in the header an indication about the release in which they were made obsolete? Stefan