Subject: Re: bug#1754: 23.0.60; tool-bar is shown with tool-bar-mode off

From: martin rudalics <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2009 12:22:56 +0100

> It's not a question of optimization but of semantics.
 > It seems cleaner to only add the setting to default-frame-alist if
 > that's possible.  Which is why I asked for a reason wy it's also added
 > to initial-frame-alist even tho it doesn't seem necessary.

When the .emacs reader encounters the form

(modify-all-frames-parameters (list (cons 'tool-bar-lines 1)))

it will map both initial-frame-alist and default-frame-alist to an alist
containing a (tool-bar-lines . 1) entry.  If it then encounters the form

(setq default-frame-alist
       (append (list (cons 'tool-bar-lines 0))
               default-frame-alist))

it adds to default-frame-alist a (tool-bar-lines . 0) entry shadowing
the (tool-bar-lines . 1) entry.  With current Emacs, the initial frame
will probably have a tool bar.  If we "only add the setting to
default-frame-alist", the initial frame likely will not have a tool bar.

Hence, applying the change we're talking about can change the meaning of
a valid .emacs file for some value of validity.  But I suppose you know
that.  Alas, I don't know what kind of semantics you have in mind :-(

martin