RE: About how misspelled word are displayed

[Drew Adams]

> > Customize will do exactly that for you: use
> > Customize and then go look into your
> > initialization file. Move the code around to
> > your heart's content. Best of both worlds!
> 
> And the next time you use Customize, what will
> happen? More ugly code added - more confusion -
> no, don't use it - hands of our Elisp! - instead:
> (modify-face font-lock-keyword-face "green" "black" nil t)

Just use a separate `custom-file'.  Customize does not
_want_ to fiddle with your init file, but if you do not
tell it another file to use instead (`C-h v custom-file')
then your init file wins.

For simple stuff, yes, you can code such customizations
by hand.  But why do that (except to practice and learn
more, which can be a fine reason)?

And for stuff that is not so simple, it is better to rely
on Customize.  It knows the customize code better than
you/we do.

Some user options have special initialization or setting
functions that are triggered automatically by Customize.
If your hand-written code uses `custom*' functions then
it is probably OK.  But if not then it risks bypassing
those triggers.