Re: `isearch-allow-scroll' - a misnomer and a bad design

[chad]

On Sep 21, 2011, at 2:04 AM, Alan Mackenzie wrote:

> Hi, everybody.
> 
> Since when has adding four identical characters into a search string been
> useful?  Maybe "))))" whilst programming elisp, and there is a (long)
> place name in Wales with four consecutive 'l's.  But really?  :-)

As I mentioned, my actual experience with emacs:

        I've tried to use it to isearch for strings of several `-' characters 
(which 
        were basically record separators), and was surprised when C-u quit 
        isearch. The case I mentioned uses 6 `-'s; the other cases I see (less
        frequently lately) use either 33 `-'s or 66 `;'s.

        I've never wanted C-u to quit isearch. 

Richard commented that special-casing C-u might turn isearch into a 
`modal thing' (my term). I think the majority of people believe that it
has always been such a thing, and that is its primary value.

Perhaps there are people who want to be able to exit isearch by inserting 
a number of identical characters at point, but it certainly seems strange
to me (hardly surprising, since I already said I was unpleasantly surprised
by it).

I hope that helps,
*Chad