Re: Emacs-diffs Digest, Vol 50, Issue 7

[Lennart Borgman (gmail)]

Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> IMO this change in the manual of the text I wrote is ridiculous:
>
>   
> > --- msdog.texi  27 Dec 2006 12:49:00 -0000      1.64
> > +++ msdog.texi  2 Jan 2007 21:00:44 -0000       1.65
> > @@ -334,11 +334,14 @@
> >  keyboard input in Emacs.
> >  
> >  @cindex MS-Windows keyboard shortcuts
> > -  Many key combinations (known as ``keyboard shortcuts'') that are in
> > -widespread use in MS-Windows programs are taken by various Emacs
> > -features.  Examples include @kbd{C-C}, @kbd{C-X}, @kbd{C-Z},
> > address@hidden, and @kbd{W-SPC}.  You can get some of them back by turning
> > -on CUA Mode (@pxref{CUA Bindings}).
> > +  Many key combinations (known as ``keyboard shortcuts'') that have
> > +conventional uses in MS-Windows programs conflict with traditional
> > +Emacs commands.  This conflict arose because the designers of Windows
> > +did not concern themselves with how Emacs used these characters.
> > +Examples include @kbd{C-c}, @kbd{C-x}, @kbd{C-z}, @kbd{C-a}, and
> > address@hidden@key{SPC}}.  You can redefine some of them with meanings more
> > +like the MS-Windows meanings by enabling CUA Mode (@pxref{CUA
> > +Bindings}).
> >     
>
> The original text was completely neutral, whereas the new one is so
> grotesque that it's at best suitable for anti.texi, and at worst is an
> insult to the reader's intelligence.
>
> To add insult to injury, the ChangeLog entry accuses me of being
> lopsided towards Windows:
>
>         * msdog.texi (Windows Keyboard): Explain that Windows was incompatible
>         with Emacs, not vice versa.
>
> Such incidents make me wonder why I still spend almost all my free
> time working on Emacs, if what I get in return is this kind of
> rudeness.
>   

It is a joke of course, but one of those jokes that may be dividing, not 
uniting.  A good example IMHO of why it is better to joke about oneself 
than about others.

I could write in length about this, but just want to make a short note. 
The kind of thinking that is behind this joke tends to surface when a 
group is in a stressed position. (I believe it is rather similar to the 
stress that came up when I pointed to what I think are some problems on 
the w32 side.)

There is a press now to fix the errors and get a release done. I think 
everyone agrees on that though we may disagree about details regarding 
what bugs to fix and so on.
Could we please just accept that there is some stress now and that some 
bad things happens then?

I would be glad if those changes to msdogs.texi were changed back to 
something more neutral. Let us avoid to write down our group thinking in 
the manual.