RE: can't set both mode-line color and default frame font?

[Drew Adams]

> > customization within Emacs should always
> > take priority over the external environment.
>
> "should always" - hmm
>
> I'm not necessarily arguing against such a rule, but your
> supporting reason for it is...?
>
> Emacs already takes the context ("external environment") into account in
> many ways - from your locale settings to your environment variables. Those
> existing behaviors argue against your blanket statement. Unless
> they are all wrong also.

Let me correct what I wrote before you do :-).

You did not of course say to not take the environment into account at all;
you were speaking only about precedence in case of conflict. So my examples
are not very pertinent.

Still, I'd like to hear the reason for the inside-out precedence rule.
(Again, I'm not arguing against it.)