Subject: RE: bug#22564: Fundamental mode isn't fundamental enough.

From: Drew Adams <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 6 Feb 2016 15:57:02 +0000 (UTC)

> >> +1.  Fundamental mode should be Notepad-like as much as possible IMHO.
> >> (Incidentally, I almost never use Fundamental mode, exactly because of
> >> that.)
> 
> > Fundamental mode is not really supposed to be used by users
> > interactively, AFAIK.  It should not even have the functionality
> > of Notepad.  It is used as an empty inheritance point for other
> > modes.  It is the "bottom" of modes. ;-)
> 
> I think fundamental mode existed long before derived modes did.  To say
> it shouldn't be used directly by users is a bit strange, IMAO.  I use it
> fairly often, e.g. when I'm testing, and I want to clear out buffer local
> variables from some buffer, or to re-initialise font locking, or
> something like that.

In that case, I'd still suggest that Fundamental mode should be truly
trivial, with no particular expectation that it be used interactively,
and with it not chosen as the default mode for any buffers in `emacs -Q'.

But I'd also suggest that we create an intermediate mode that is _almost_
trivial, that inherits from Fundamental mode, and that provides whatever
is considered a bare minimum for interactive use.  If that bare minimimum
includes electric indentation, so be it.  But I do think we should not
be adding to Fundamental mode.  (Just one opinion.)