From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Eli Zaretskii Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: dired-do-touch Date: 30 Mar 2004 08:50:43 +0200 Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Message-ID: References: <8765czqqyj.fsf@sno.mundell.ukfsn.org> <8765ctkmdo.fsf@mail.jurta.org> <87k7165zee.fsf@mail.jurta.org> <9681-Sat27Mar2004141724+0300-eliz@gnu.org> <87vfkq1lss.fsf@mail.jurta.org> <87ekre6zft.fsf@sno.mundell.ukfsn.org> <87oeqitbga.fsf@mail.jurta.org> <87isgo4ub2.fsf@sno.mundell.ukfsn.org> <874qs7wjlk.fsf@mail.jurta.org> Reply-To: Eli Zaretskii NNTP-Posting-Host: deer.gmane.org X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1080629375 5778 80.91.224.253 (30 Mar 2004 06:49:35 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 06:49:35 +0000 (UTC) Cc: matt@mundell.ukfsn.org, rms@gnu.org, emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Tue Mar 30 08:49:30 2004 Return-path: Original-Received: from quimby.gnus.org ([80.91.224.244]) by deer.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1B8D3y-0008Rr-00 for ; Tue, 30 Mar 2004 08:49:30 +0200 Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by quimby.gnus.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1B8D3y-00081J-00 for ; Tue, 30 Mar 2004 08:49:30 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.30) id 1B8D3i-000562-HG for emacs-devel@quimby.gnus.org; Tue, 30 Mar 2004 01:49:14 -0500 Original-Received: from list by monty-python.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.30) id 1B8D3H-00054g-Sd for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 30 Mar 2004 01:48:47 -0500 Original-Received: from mail by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.30) id 1B8D2k-0004u4-S8 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 30 Mar 2004 01:48:45 -0500 Original-Received: from [207.232.27.5] (helo=WST0054) by monty-python.gnu.org with asmtp (Exim 4.30) id 1B8D2k-0004sL-Au; Tue, 30 Mar 2004 01:48:14 -0500 Original-To: Juri Linkov In-reply-to: <874qs7wjlk.fsf@mail.jurta.org> (message from Juri Linkov on Mon, 29 Mar 2004 22:15:19 +0300) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.4 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:21082 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:21082 > From: Juri Linkov > Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 22:15:19 +0300 > > > > IMHO, we don't _have_ to emulate the `touch' program's date/time > > format. The format of the arguments that `touch' accepts is a result > > of a certain user-interface design that is appropriate for a > > command-line utility. Emacs could in principle present an entirely > > different UI, since it is not a command-line app. We just need to > > support the same _functionality_, but not necessarily the same > > _format_. > > While I agree that we don't have to emulate the `touch' program > format, I think that we ought to add it as one of the possible time > formats accepted by the `date-to-time' and other Emacs time-parsing > functions, because this format is very compact which makes it > convenient for the user to enter. ``Convenient''? IMHO, you need to be a CS graduate just to understand it. Take a look at the Yacc parser summoned for the implementation of the "--date" option, or at the node in fileutils.info that documents it. Even the simpler "-t TIME" option's format is not easy to get right: I always confuse the traditional (and insane) MMDDhhmm[YY] format with the newer [[CC]YY]MMDDhhmm[.ss] format and need to consult the docs to be sure I don't screw up my time stamps. I wish Emacs had something more human-friendly, perhaps accessible via mouse clicks on the date/time fields of the Dired display or some such.