RE: [External] : Cannot see what is written on modeline

[Christopher Dimech]

> Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at 1:09 AM
> From: "Stefan Monnier via Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor" 
> <help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>
> To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
> Subject: Re: [External] :  Cannot see what is written on modeline
>
> > Could emacs internally figure out the colour settings and determine if
> > the contrast between the foreground and background is high enough.
> > And if not high enough to change the foreground and background colour.
>
> It could but that would prevent such settings being made on purpose.
> AFAICT your current problems are due to Xresource settings, which are
> usually things the user sets explicitly, so it would be odd for Emacs to
> ignore/override explicit user settings.

If they want them on purpose, could they not do them within their init file,
and let emacs use accessibility criteria when not set explicitly in the emacs
init file.

> > Particularly when user supplies the -q option whilst debugging.
>
> `-q` is not for debugging: `-Q` is.

Because only -Q avoids processing X resources.

Usually used -q to see what happens when no init file is loaded.  Was
not aware that emacs relies on X Resources, but that emacs handles
customisations internally, not picking things for mode line from
X Resources.  I am of the point of view that emacs should take care
of mode-line, because the emacs mode line should not form part of the
window environment.  The mode-line is there to assist the user with
important buffer specific details related to emacs.  In that regard,
accessibility considerations should trample other things, unless reset
from emacs customisation or by modifications to emacs init file.

Many people do not fully understand the ramifications emanating from the
setting of the X Environment Resources that applies to all window environments.

Most likely he installed Emacs later on, without bothering with the X Resource
Settings during OS installation.

>         Stefan
>
>
>