Subject: bug#13687: /srv/bzr/emacs/trunk r111878: * lisp/replace.el(read-regexp): Let-bind `default' to the first

From: "Drew Adams" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 8 Mar 2013 09:10:12 -0800

> > I also wonder whether you are perhaps changing the user experience
> > here without a proper proposal and discussion in emacs-devel first.
> 
> You seem to think that emacs-bugs is not a right place to discuss a
> proposal.

You are correct - that it is what I think.

It is not the best place to discuss a user-visible behavior change.
[email-masked] is the list for discussing such changes.  Some interested in
Emacs development follow that list but do not follow the bugs list.

Yes, sometimes a bug report leads to further discussion that involves
potentially changing behavior for users.  And yes, sometimes that change is
minimal and it is OK to decide here and let the wider community know via NEWS.

And yes, sometimes it happens that discussion of even more substantial changes
does not get moved from here to emacs-devel, out of laziness or whatever.  But
that is a weakness to be overcome.  The wider Emacs development community
deserves to follow and weigh in on user-visible behavior changes.

> > "I will commit...tomorrow." does not inspire confidence.  How about
> > proposing a change and seeing what others in the development list
> > think?
> 
> It is happening as we type, don't you think.

No, it is not.  It is buried within a particular bug thread on a separate
mailing list from [email-masked].

I would guess (but haven't checked) that many more people subscribe to
emacs-devel than subscribe to the bug mailing list.  Likewise would be my guess
wrt those who read the dev and bug threads in other ways.

Make a proposal for the behavior change and present it to emacs-devel.  Based on
the discussion (if any) and the decision reached there, you can then follow up
with the bug fix.  Reference the bug thread in the emacs-devel discussion via
the bug # or its URL (but don't cc both lists).

That's the right way, IMHO.  It is not always followed correctly, unfortunately.