RE: Poll about proposed change in DEL (aka Backspace) and Delete

[Ludwig, Mark]

> From: Richard Stallman
> Subject: Poll about proposed change in DEL (aka Backspace) and Delete
> 
> In Emacs 24, now in pretest, a change is being considered for ASCII
> DEL (on most keyboards, the Backspace key) and the Delete function
> key.  The change affects the case of an active region that was not
> dragged with the mouse.  The change is that these commands would
> delete the region, rather than just one character as now.
> 
> In the past, this behavior was enabled in some minor modes: CUA mode,
> Delete Selection mode, and PC Selection mode.  In the 24.0.90 pretest,
> this behavior is enabled by default.  Thus, building and using the
> pretest is an easy way to try the change.
> 
> Here are the questions we hope you will answer:
> 
> * Are you in favor of this change?

Yes

> * Are you opposed to this change?

No

> * How strongly do you feel about the matter?
> 
> We don't want to just "count votes" -- we want to understand
> how this affects users.  So if you care about the issue,
> please tell us how the change affects your editing.

Moderately strongly.  After working long enough in a "standard" Windows GUI, I 
know my fingers have made that gesture in Emacs and been disappointed that 
Emacs doesn't do it....

> * What are the cases where you find it helps?

Assuming "case" means use case, most of mine would be helped.

> * What are the cases where you find it hurts?

When I have been using Emacs exclusively for a long enough time, I start 
remembering the "Emacs way."  (There's always Undo....)

> * What is your level of Emacs experience?

I started with EMACS at Cornell in 1980 on a DEC-20 (loved TECO).$$  I was 
without Emacs 1985-1990 (dark years).  I picked up the current lineage at GNU 
Emacs 19.x ca. 1990 on a Sun-3 or -4?  It used to be fun to build it from C and 
.el files....

I use it regularly for C programming, maintaining a software product.  I have a 
file of Emacs Lisp functions I have written for processing text -- special 
cases for the software product source or output.

In the dark years, I went so far as to implement a very simple Emacs on top of 
LSU(?), a programmable editor on VAX/VMS (successor to EDT).

> A further change in the same area has been suggested: when there is an
> active region, a self-inserting character would delete the region
> before the character is inserted by default.
> 
> * What would you think of this further change?

I would like this too.

Thanks!