RE: Changes for emacs 28

[Drew Adams]

> >> and these options would be written in their .emacs file.
> >
> > Just a nit about this part.
> >
> > I really think we should get away from having Emacs fiddle with users'
> > init files.
> >
> > For Customize, we should encourage use of `custom-file'.
> 
> I agree with you that in general Emacs should better not fiddle with
> users' init files, but not in this particular case.  This would happen
> only for first-time users who, as I said, do not yet have a .emacs file /
> .emacs.d directory.  Populating that file / directory with the result of
> their choices during the initial "guided tour" makes perfect sense.  IOW,
> this would happen only the first time they start Emacs.

Even so.  It doesn't matter how or when or why Emacs
writes to a user's init file.  The effect is the same:
mixing automatic, programmatic edits with user edits
(even if there not yet any user edits).

It's fine, IMO, for Emacs to prompt for where to record
something.

It could even be OK (but not as nice) for Emacs to
automatically put something in a file in ~/.emacs.d, as
the default directory for something.

What I think is not OK is for Emacs to put stuff in a
user's init file, whether that be the default location
and name of an init file or an init file with some other
location and name.

`custom-file' is the right place for Customize to put
and edit stuff.  For what you propose, some other file
can be chosen.  It just shouldn't be a file that is
intended for user editing - in particular, the user's
init file.