Re: bug#7771: 23.1; can't turn off font-lock-mode globally

[K. Richard Pixley]

On 20110103 00:13, Drew Adams wrote:
> > compile (and grep) require font-lock to work.
>
> They did not used to require font locking.  This is a regression, a feature
> loss, if users are deprived of the Emacs `grep' and `compile' commands if they
> simply turn off font-locking.

I concur.  This is a sad regression.

> The added benefit users get from font-lock should just be a plus, not a
> requirement.  With font-lock turned off we should just not show any font-lock
> highlighting, nothing more.

As is, it's not a plus.  It simply makes those commands difficult to 
use.  You have to switch to the buffer and manually turn font locking 
off in them each time you create a pop up in order to view the pop up's 
contents.

(I haven't tried to set up a mode-local hook to do it.)

> Font lock was finally turned on by default globally (a change I support
> strongly).  But that should just be the _default_ behavior.  Font lock should
> not be required in order to compile or grep.

I think it could be a reasonable default if it were visible in all 
cases.  Since it's clearly not, it is, in my opinion, premature to turn 
on by default.

New users and people who are ignorant of the font lock system should not 
be presented with illegible screens nor be forced to learn the details 
of this system simply in order to use emacs.

IMO, that's intolerable and extremely embarrassing.  I can't very well 
advocate for emacs use when this is such a common occurrence.

> As the person who first added regexp highlighting to the Emacs `grep' command
> (my version), I know it is a definite plus.  But the implementation of the
> `grep' and `compile' commands should not _require_ font locking for users to be
> able to use the commands for their most important purpose.

Again, I strongly concur.

As a model, assume for a moment that "font-lock" meant "white characters 
on a white background".

--rich