GNU bug report logs - #1305
All code that currently beeps should use visual bell instead

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From: Michael Welsh Duggan <mwd <at> md5i.com>
To: Gregory Heytings <gregory <at> heytings.org>
Cc: 1305 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, Michael Welsh Duggan <mwd <at> md5i.com>, Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se>, jasonspiro4 <at> gmail.com, monnier <at> iro.umontreal.ca, Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
Subject: bug#1305: All code that currently beeps should use visual bell instead
Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2021 17:52:18 -0400

Gregory Heytings <gregory <at> heytings.org> writes:

>>> I checked on macOS, and the only apps (at least, the only apps
>>> among the ones I use) that repeatedly beep are the terminal and
>>> Emacs. Other apps only beep when you do something "wrong", that is,
>>> when they cannot do what you want (for example when you ask the
>>> program to paste something when there is nothing to paste), or when
>>> they open an important dialog.  The terminal also beeps when it
>>> cannot do what you want (for example when you press TAB and it
>>> cannot complete the current input).  In comparison, Emacs beeps a
>>> lot.
>>
>> Really?  I find that, in general, Emacs only beeps when it cannot do
>> what I want (for example, C-n at EOB) or I cancel an operation (C-g
>> or ESC ESC ESC).  Under what other circumstances are you
>> encountering beeping?
>>
>
> For example, every time you press C-g, and every time you search for
> something that it cannot find.  When you press C-g Emacs does what you
> want, so why beep?  

You could make an argument for that.  Though ESC ESC ESC only beeps if
it canceled something.

> When you search for something that isn't there you already see that it
> isn't there, so why beep?

This one is easy.  It's so I know that it isn't there, that nothing was
found.  It's much easier to hear the beep than to realize visually that
it hasn't been found, and it is very useful to hear the beep before
search wraps around.  Moreover, I think this falls into the category you
called:

>>> when you do something "wrong", that is, when they cannot do what you
>>> want.

That said, I'm not going to argue about this very much.  I just wanted
to solicit an opinion.  Outside of possibly C-g, I don't see that Emacs
beeps any more than it should.  If the default is changed, I can change
it back on my end.

-- 
Michael Welsh Duggan
(md5i <at> md5i.com)

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