RE: Incorrect terminology in Customize doc

[Drew Adams]

        Some of the Customize documentation incorrectly refers to user
        preferences, which can be either faces or variables, as "user
        options". In Emacs terminology (elsewhere, and longstanding), a
"user
        option" is a `user-variable-p', that is, a variable that users are
        intended to change (its doc string has "*" at the beginning).

    I agree, that is somewhat inconsistent.

        The correct term for a user preference that includes both variables
        and faces is "preference",

    We don't use the term "preference" at all, so I don't see any sense in
    which it is "correct".  Why do you think it is "correct"?

        Since all custom vars are user-variable-p, I think it make
        sense to expand
        the notion of "user option" to also include other custom-izable
objects
        like faces.

    I am not sure how much work that involves, but I like it better than
    switching to the term "preferences".

As I mentioned to Stefan, I have no pb with expanding the meaning of "user
option" - it is a fine term for this, in fact. I suggested "user preference"
(or just "preference") only because:

1. "user option" has already been defined as something else, so far -
something related, so potentially confusing.

2. To make the "user option" change in meaning requires changing multiple
places: Info doc, doc strings, and source code. It might even require
changes to a few variable or function names; I'm not sure. Some of the
Customize code already refers to faces + user options together as "user
options" or "options", BTW.

3. The term "preference" is used in other applications. When looking for an
alternative to "option" I picked that as a suggestion. Another term used is
"setting" (which has a few disadvantages).

My only point was that we should be clear and consistent about the
terminology. If you decide to expand "user option", it should be done well.
That will also require, BTW, a term for `user-variable-p' - the obvious
candidate for that is "user variable". Part of the vocab change would then
involve changing some existing occurrences of "user option" to "user
variable".

 - Drew