Re: emacs key bindings reserved for the user C-c [a-zA-Z]

[Ali Tofigh]

On Sat, Oct 6, 2012 at 12:03 AM, Karl Fogel <address@hidden> wrote:
> Ali Tofigh <address@hidden> writes:
>>I read that part of the emacs key binding convention is to keep C-c
>>[a-zA-Z] reserved for the user and that packages should not make use of
>>such key bindings. There is also a note about all major modes having
>>been changed to comply with this convention. I'd like to know:
>>
>>1) How long has this convention been in place and when where the major
>>   modes changed accordingly?
>
> Many years -- since at least some time in 1992, given that the file
> etc/NEWS.19 contains this:
>
>   * Changes in version 19.13.
>   ** Hide-ifdef mode no longer defines keys of the form
>   C-c LETTER, since those keys are reserved for users.
>
> (I think the convention might have been introduced with Emacs 19.0.)
>
>>2) To what extent do packages actually abide by this convention (at
>>   least the ones that are actively being supported/developed)?
>
> Occasionally I run across an exception, but FWIW my experience is that
> the packages I use in Emacs generally abide by this convention now.
>
> I'm curious: why do you ask?

An update to an emacs package that I use on a daily basis introduced
just such a key binding, which I happen to be using in my emacs setup
for other purposes. Me and some of the developers were joking around
on the package's mailing list and couldn't settle on whether the
convention is "an old saying that very few packages respect" or "a new
saying that old packages don't respect". I guess I just couldn't drop
the subject. :-)

/Ali