Re: [PATCH] Keep network security info buffers after use

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Karl Fogel <kfogel@red-bean.com>
> Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org
> Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2023 18:00:59 -0600
> 
> On 18 Dec 2023, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> >
> >We don't advertise that key for a reason, so I don't think this 
> >is a good idea.
> 
> Okay.  I'm curious what that reason is, if you have time to 
> explain, but I'm fine accepting this decision as a given.

The reason is simple: what you see is a side effect of how the user
interaction was implemented in this case.  Look at the code, and you
will see it clearly.  If we ever decide to change the details of the
implementation, C-r will most probably stop working.  We don't want to
advertise "features" that can disappear without advance warning.

> My problem with Andreas's idea...
> 
> >How about adding a command to (re-)display the cert info?
> 
> ...is that I don't see how the user is likely to know about the 
> existence of this new command.

We can have a reference to it in the doc string(s) of commands and
variables which are related.  There's also the various Apropos
commands and the manual.

More generally, are you saying that any feature that is not directly
into user's face is not discoverable?  If so, I don't think I agree.
We go a long way in Emacs to provide discovery features and
cross-references, for this very reason, and anyway it is impractical
to expect that ever obscure option will always be staring the user in
the face.  And even if it were, how many users will immediately know
that entering recursive edit will allow them to see the stuff you
wanted to see?  How many users even know about recursive edit in
Emacs?