Re: Upcoming loss of usability of Emacs source files and Emacs.

[Nicolas Petton]

Richard Stallman <address@hidden> writes:

> This change in the source format is a bad idea.  It is a pain in the
> neck, providing no practical benefit.
>
> This is a doc string convention, like \\[...], not a user interface.
> It needs to be convenient, not pretty.
>
> Inserting ‘ and ’ is as very inconvenient.  Hunting for how to insert
> them is even more so, as it is not documented.
>
> Because I have an instance of ‘ in the buffer now, I was able to use
> C-u C-x = on it, which told me I could insert it with C-x 8 RET 2018
> RET.
>
> I will not remember that hex code.  I will be able to look it up again
> next time -- if I have an instance in the buffer.  Of course, given
> one the buffer, I will not use C-x 8, I will copy it with the kill
> ring.  In other words, this character is so inconvenient to insert
> that I will use workarounds rather than try.
>
> In practice, to insert curly quotes, I will have to find an instance
> to copy.
>
> The Emacs Manual in Info provides no help on inputting them.  The word
> "curly" does not appear in the manual, except in regard to another
> character.  In the chapter on non-ASCII characters, the only advice it
> gives is the general reference to C-x 8 -- nothing about how to use
> C-x 8 to get curly quotes in particular.
>
> There was talk some months ago about adding C-x 8 shortcuts for curly
> quotes, but C-x 8 C-h does not show them.  I found nothing in etc/NEWS
> either.  I am running from source fetched on May 8.
>
> If those shortcuts are implemented, they will require 3 or 4
> characters, one of them a control character.  That's better than 8
> characters, but still a pain.
>
> We must not make any convention involving those characters
> in source code.

I agree, but then why do we have electric-quote-mode for?  When enabled,
it will insert curly quotes in docstrings in place of `'.
-- 
Nicolas Petton
http://nicolas-petton.fr

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