Re: virtual space?

[Michael Durland]

> > I tried picure-mode, but that seems to insert tabs into the file as
> > soon as the cursor is moved into empty space.  I don't want to modify
> > the file, I just want to be able to move the cursor anywhere.  Only if
> > I start typing in that empty space, then I do want it to fill the
> > empty space with tabs and/or spaces.
>
> Why would you want to move the cursor somewhere if you don't plan to
> edit anything there?

Having the cursor move to somewhere where I didn't tell it to go is
annoying.  For example, imagine holding down the up or down arrow key to
move some distance in a file, like from the bottom of a window to somewhere
in the middle.  The cursor should move directly up the column it started in.
But emacs doesn't do that.  The cursor jumps around all over the place.  It
is very distracting.  Regardless of where typing actually occurs, the cursor
shouldn't move except exactly where it's told to go.  If I tell it to go up,
it should go up one line and not change columns.  Period.

I researched this a little more and indeed this is not something that can be
changed in emacs.  Furthermore, I found posts in newsgroups asking for this
feature going back to at least 1998, 5 years.  Every good editor I've ever
used has virtual space.  I find it hard to believe that the most well
known/respected best editor on the planet can't do it.  Can someone please
point me to how to submit a wishlist request for the next version of emacs?
I really want to learn this great editor, but stuff like this is
frustrating.  When I need to work on UNIX where I don't have my trusty TSE
Pro, I was hoping I could customize emacs to do what I need.  But it just
lacks key features.  e.g. virtual space and popup windows being the ones I
can't live without.  Emacs windows and frames do not cut it for popup
windows.  On this note, I saw another post requesting popup windows as well,
e.g. in order to implement something akin to the C++ class member
autocompletion popups of many editors.  I read this can be somewhat faked
with the new tooltip concept, but it is not a complete solution. *sigh*