Subject: Re: bug#21695: 25.0.50; Change most occurrences of `setq' in Emacs manual to `customize-set-variable'? Really?

From: Gregory Heytings <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 09 Sep 2021 12:40:50 +0000

>>> It's usually fine to set user options that have a :set form with setq 
>>> -- if you do it before the .el file it belongs in is loaded.  Finding 
>>> a variable it's problematic to use setq on in .emacs took some digging 
>>> (when I added the example in the manual).
>>
>> Hmm...  Unless I'm missing something, the case you mention (setq'ing a 
>> variable before the .el file is loaded) will not issue a warning.  The 
>> example I used is (setq gdb-many-windows t).
>
> That's not an autoloaded variable (well, minor mode), so Emacs doesn't 
> know that it has a :set when .emacs is loaded.
>

Oh, I see.  You mean that setq'ing autoloaded variables, which are loaded 
before their .el files is loaded, can usually be setq'd, disregarding 
their :set property.  But I don't see how one could distinguish between 
those for which it is problematic and those for which is isn't.  ISTM that 
in this case displaying a warning even when it's not really problematic is 
better than not displaying warnings for those variable for which it is 
problematic?