C-x C-v considered harmful

[Bob Rogers]

   I have finally discovered what has been making my *shell* buffers
disappear mysteriously from time to time.  It's because I often invoke
vc-dir in the *shell* buffer, in order to take the directory default
from there, but sometimes type "C-x C-v d RET" instead -- too quickly to
realize that I haven't let go of the Ctrl key fast enough.  So instead
of vc-dir, I end up in an empty buffer named "d", and *shell* is gone
for good.  IMHO, the "C-x C-v" binding to find-alternate-file makes it
much too easy to typo oneself into information loss.

   Possible solutions:

   1.  Bind find-alternate-file to something different.  (Probably too
late for that.)

   2.  Add a "[Confirm]" step if nonexistent, as for selecting files or
buffers with confirm-nonexistent-file-or-buffer set to t.  (Oops; that's
probably too controversial.)

   3.  Do not bind find-alternate-file to anything at all.

   I've adopted the third solution locally, so I will not kick up a fuss
if people want to keep the status quo.  But I think it's much less user-
hostile to let those who are knowledgeable enough to want the feature
enable it for themselves, than to let buffers to disappear mysteriously
on the unwary.

                                        -- Bob Rogers
                                           http://www.rgrjr.com/