Re: Idea for compilation mode

[David Kastrup]

Miles Bader <address@hidden> writes:

> Richard Stallman <address@hidden> writes:

> >     I've always use the old gosmacs binding for this -- `C-x C-n'
> >     -- which I find very nice (even on a normal ascii keyboard,
> >     C-x ` is rather awkward to type).
> > 
> > I didn't put it there because I carried forward the original Emacs
> > meaning of C-x C-n.  However, it could well be that next-error is
> > used more than set-goal-column.  So perhaps that binding should be
> > changed.
> > 
> > However, if next-error is C-x C-n, previous-error can't be C-x
> > C-p.  It would be better to find a good pair of keys for
> > next-error and previous-error.
> 
> Hmm, well I of course use `C-x C-p' for previous-error, but I see that the
> default binding is `mark-page'; is that a widely used command (I don't
> think I use any page commands at all, except for forward/backward-page)?
> 
> I think that next/previous-error are quite widely used (not just
> compilation, but grep, etc. also), and so deserve rather
> easy-to-type bindings.

I agree here.  Previously we were talking about polls about
unused/obsoletable functions/Lisp files.  Storing those in an
"obsolete" directory or whatever else does not impact general Emacs
performance.

In contrast, unused keybindings hog user interface resources.  A lot
of bindings come from a time where there were few functions yet
available, so one could assign keybindings rather freely to them.
When new, much more convenient and more often used functions get
concocted, there are no easily accessible bindings left.  It would
probably be a stretch to make a connection to major Emacs developers
(like RMS and Ben Wing) suffering from RSI, but I think some
keybindings of Emacs might be worth reconsideration, and this might
require some polling.

We might need something similar to "disabled" commands for
keybindings, so that users get clued in about when some favorite
keybinding of theirs might be replaced in a future version, and maybe
also tell the user when an alternative binding already exists.

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum