Re: PROPOSAL: Repurpose one key and reserve it for third-party packages

[Philip K.]

Gregory Heytings <gregory@heytings.org> writes:

>> the difference is that Emacs is a interactive computing environment
>> while GIMP and browsers are programs with extension models.
>
> I'm not sure I understand the difference, and for most users Emacs is
> not an "interactive computing environment", it's a text editor, like
> Atom, Visual Studio, or Vim.

Just because it appears to be something at first glance, doesn't mean it
should behave/limit itself to this misapprehension.

>> All in all, I don't have a problem with Emacs being able to support
>> it, but as I've shown with the example in my last message, it
>> doesn't need to be done automatically, nor does it require a
>> separate key.
>>
>
> The problem of what you propose is that, even if it were possible
> (AFAIU it isn't, given Emacs' key binding conventions), it would be a
> very limited solution: there are only 26 keys reserved for users.
> Okay, 52, if you count capital letters.

Wait, if a key were designated, you would have the same issue? But even
then, you can bind a key to a sub-map, you can rebind exiting keys if a
package improves on an existing key and you could suggest more than one
key.

>> It's ultimately up to the user what he or she wants to do, and
>> clever behind-your-back customization seems more harmful and
>> confusing than the current state of affairs.
>
> It's what most users expect.  apt install elpa-magit, C-x g, and
> voilà: Magit works. 

How do you come to this conclusion? And why does it matter if it is a
"wrong" expectation?

> BTW, Emacs already does "behind-your-back" customizations, and doesn't
> ask you any questions for them.  It provides sensible defaults, which
> work in most cases, and which you can change if need be.

I don't get your point here. Are you saying "default Emacs" is a
"behind-your-back customization"?

-- 
        Philip K.

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