Re: @#$! new behavior of C-b & C-f in i-search

[Richard Stallman]

    C-M-w could be used as a key switching between word and character
    modes, i.e. after typing C-M-w in isearch mode subsequent
    C-w will pull a character and DEL will delete a character.
    Another C-M-w will switch back to word mode with C-w and DEL
    restoring their current meaning.

This might be too complex to be useful.  But people could try it out
and report if they use it.