Re: set-background-color

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: David Kastrup <David.Kastrup@t-online.de>
> Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.bug
> Date: 17 Feb 2002 14:49:46 +0100
> 
> This is another case where the behavior to a user appears quite
> unacceptable, as valid color names are rejected: it is perfectly
> understandable that they are not completed, but they are not even
> accepted when you press return.

They are not valid colors for the display being used.  That Emacs
goes out of its way to try to do something sensible with those color
strings is a feature meant to ease the maintenance burden on authors
of Lisp packages that use colors without defining tty-specific color
settings.

But to the user, the colors are still treated as invalid, because they
don't exist as far as the terminal is concerned.

> That there may be technical reasons underlying the unfortunate current
> behavior, may be an explanation for the current behavior, but not an
> excuse.

I don't think I need an excuse: the code in tty-colors.el is designed
and written based on years of experience, and works well enough to not
deserve being called ``unfortunate'', even though it's version 1.0.

> I find it counterproductive if core developers scorn criticism
> because they do not feel able or willing to cope with the raised
> issues.
> 
> I find it perfectly understandable if they say current priorities do
> not permit them any work on that.  But if they suggest that they
> consider an obviously dissatisfactory behavior correct, they
> discourage other people from trying to fix it.  Because those other
> people must then assume that their fixes will never get accepted.

Frankly, I don't understand this outbreak of negative emotions.  I
don't think I deserve that for patiently explaining the reasons for
the current behavior and details of the internal design.  If you, or
someone else, have more questions, please ask, and I will try to
answer them as best as I can.  Then draw your own conclusions; you
don't need to accept my opinions, or to ask me to accept yours.

But I believe I do have a right to have an opinion, and to express it
without being pounced upon.  And if my opinion discourages someone
from changing the current behavior, it could be because I'm right and
they were wrong.