default-buffer-file-coding-system

[Helmut Richter]

I have the statement

  setq default-buffer-file-coding-system 'iso-8859-1

in my startup file, and it seems to work as the variable value can be 
shown with ctrl-h v. It has, however, no effect at all. When I open a 
new buffer for a non-existing file, it has no associated coding (as would 
be seen in the left corner of the status line), and as soon as I store the 
file, the coding is set to utf-8. I expected that setting the variable 
default-buffer-file-coding-system to iso-8859-1 would change this behaviour.

Interestingly, I observed this behaviour already in the past, then it was gone
after a system upgrade, now it is back after a system upgrade. The system is
Linux 2.6.16.54-0.2.5-smp (SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 (x86_64); VERSION
= 10; PATCHLEVEL = 1), Emacs version is 21.3.1.

Another question, less important: can I change the window size and the font
used once and for all? At the moment, I change it after the window has been
opened.

-- 
Helmut Richter