Subject: Re: bug#1305: All code that currently beeps should use visual bellinstead

From: "Jason Spiro" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:50:01 -0500

2008/11/10 Richard M. Stallman <[email-masked]> wrote:
> For changes like this, you should poll the users, with a poll
> announced at least on info-gnu-emacs and help-gnu-emacs.
>
> To get the most useful information in return, it is important to ask
> them to state the reasons for their preference, rather than simply to
> "vote".

We should poll for which change?  Surely removing beeping from the
trivial things like:

* quit (C-g), and
* moving the point off the end of the buffer, and
* failing isearches

should not require a poll.

Also, I think email polls are imperfect, since they drastically
increase list traffic.  IMO a better alternative is to create a page
on EmacsWiki and to ask people to add their Support or Oppose votes,
with explanations, to a new paragraph at the bottom of the page, or in
rebuttal to (and just below, but indented from) an existing paragraph.
 Then they should sign it with their name.  Kinda like
http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Non-administrator_rollback/Poll
except that Support and Oppose votes will be interleaved with each
other.

Also, I think you should make it clear that you will not be bound by
the results, but that you will take them into consideration.