GNU bug report logs - #21695
25.0.50; Change most occurrences of `setq' in Emacs manual to `customize-set-variable'

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From: Richard Stallman <rms <at> gnu.org>
To: Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
Cc: ke.vigouroux <at> laposte.net, 21695 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, larsi <at> gnus.org, drew.adams <at> oracle.com
Subject: bug#21695: 25.0.50; Change most occurrences of `setq' in Emacs manual to `customize-set-variable'?  Really?
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2021 23:06:58 -0400

[[[ To any NSA and FBI agents reading my email: please consider    ]]]
[[[ whether defending the US Constitution against all enemies,     ]]]
[[[ foreign or domestic, requires you to follow Snowden's example. ]]]

There are a few customization options that are not really variables
and need to be set with `customize-set-variable'.

However, the rest of them are variables and normally set with `setq'
and friends.

Telling users to set them all with `customize-set-variable' will be a
significant hassle.  What's more, users will disregard this instruction.
`setq' is easy to remember and we all know it.

Having a recommendation in the manual which users will generally
reject is in itself a problem.

I think we should address this some other way.  Here are some ideas.

* indicate the few customization options
   which are not really variables.
* tell people how to check whether
   a customization options is really a variable.
* warn about setq for a customization option that isn't really a variable.


-- 
Dr Richard Stallman (https://stallman.org)
Chief GNUisance of the GNU Project (https://gnu.org)
Founder, Free Software Foundation (https://fsf.org)
Internet Hall-of-Famer (https://internethalloffame.org)

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