Subject: bug#12911: 24.3.50; let users decide where (& perhaps whether) `emacs_backtrace.txt' files are written

From: Stefan Monnier <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:47:26 -0500

>> I don't know of any case under Unix where stderr is dumped into the
>> great void
> It can still scroll off the screen.  Or end up in some file that the
> window-system developers or admins set up, and that is some random or
> unknown place, as far as Emacs users and maintainers are concerned.
> I see no significant difference.

The difference is that the above cases are hypothetical, whereas the w32
case is the norm.

>> >> So let me reword my suggestion:
>> >> I suggested to change the code such that, in those cases where we need
>> >> to use emacs_backtrace.txt, we use ~/.emacs.d/backtrace.txt instead.
>> > I already agreed to this, provided that Emacs puts stderr output there
>> > on all platforms.
>> Yes, on all platforms where emacs_backtrace.txt is needed (in practice,
>> this does reduce to w32, AFAIK).
> No, on _all_ platforms.

We disagree on the "is needed" part.  I'm not sure that w32 is the only
one where it's needed, but so far the need hasn't cropped up elsewhere.
Maybe macsox needs it as well?

        Stefan