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bug#21695: 25.0.50; Change most occurrences of `setq' in Emacs manual to
From: |
Richard Stallman |
Subject: |
bug#21695: 25.0.50; Change most occurrences of `setq' in Emacs manual to `customize-set-variable'? Really? |
Date: |
Mon, 30 Aug 2021 23:06:58 -0400 |
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There are a few customization options that are not really variables
and need to be set with `customize-set-variable'.
However, the rest of them are variables and normally set with `setq'
and friends.
Telling users to set them all with `customize-set-variable' will be a
significant hassle. What's more, users will disregard this instruction.
`setq' is easy to remember and we all know it.
Having a recommendation in the manual which users will generally
reject is in itself a problem.
I think we should address this some other way. Here are some ideas.
* indicate the few customization options
which are not really variables.
* tell people how to check whether
a customization options is really a variable.
* warn about setq for a customization option that isn't really a variable.
--
Dr Richard Stallman (https://stallman.org)
Chief GNUisance of the GNU Project (https://gnu.org)
Founder, Free Software Foundation (https://fsf.org)
Internet Hall-of-Famer (https://internethalloffame.org)