RE: Why is `C-x 8' limited to Latin-1 for search?

[Drew Adams]

> Shouldn't users be able to insert Unicode characters in any 
> minibuffer, not only in `isearch-edit-string'?  If these is no
> reason to disallow, this patch should allow this for
> `completing-read' in `read-char-by-name':
> 
> +  (let* ((enable-recursive-minibuffers t)

FWIW, I typically add such a binding not to a function like this but to
functions that call it.  `read-char-by-name' does not know whether it is being
called from a minibuffer, i.e., whether it needs such a binding, but a function
that calls it generally does know that.

I don't think there is necessarily something wrong with doing what you suggest,
so I have no objection.  I just generally prefer to do only what the current
code knows it needs.

One could make an even more radical suggestion than yours: that
`enable-recursive-minibuffers' simply be non-nil by default.  (I am not
suggesting that.)  But the design intention in the past has been to not bind it
to non-nil any more than necessary because it has been thought that recursive
minibuffers entered accidentally can confuse users.

I use mb-depth.el (which I tweak to use a simpler depth indicator and to let
users customize it).  That helps a lot wrt recursive minibuffers.  The main
confusion about recursive minibuffers is not knowing that you are in one or how
deep it is.

With mb-depth.el (which should be turned on by default, IMHO), I'm not sure how
much the original design decision of avoiding non-nil
`enable-recursive-minibuffers' is still appropriate/necessary.