Subject: 23.0.60; Customize "not marked HIDDEN" is unclear

From: "Drew Adams" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 2 Dec 2008 15:32:06 -0800

In Customize, I see this, just before the main set of buttons in the
buffer:
 
 "Operate on all settings in this buffer that are not marked HIDDEN:"
 
To me at least, that means nothing. Worse, it confuses me. What is it
trying to say?
 
What does it mean for a setting to be "marked HIDDEN"? I don't see any
"marks", and I don't see "HIDDEN" anywhere (and why uppercase?).  What
is "marking" in this context?  If I click `Hide Value' for some option
or `Hide Face' for some face, then that button's text changes to `Show
Value' or `Show Face' (not "HIDDEN").
 
If you are trying to say that those buttons (except `Exit') act on all
options and faces in the buffer whose definitions are visible, then
say that.  And put a box around these global buttons and the
explanation, or draw a line to separate them from the rest of the
buffer, or make it clear in some other way what the scope of this
explanation and these buttons is.
 
(The fact that we need to explain this at all just indicates, however,
how bad this UI is.)

In GNU Emacs 23.0.60.1 (i386-mingw-nt5.1.2600)
 of 2008-11-24 on LENNART-69DE564
Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 5.1.2600
configured using `configure --with-gcc (3.4) --no-opt --cflags -Ic:/g/include
-fno-crossjumping'