Subject: RE: [External] : Re: bug#24383: 25.1.50; Deprecation/internalization of `read-from-whole-string'

From: Drew Adams <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 6 Feb 2021 18:52:47 +0000

> > What's the rationale behind the demotion of
> > `read-from-whole-string' and its replacement by
> > "internal" function
> > `thing-at-point--read-from-whole-string'?

?

> >   "This is an internal thingatpt function and should not be used."
> >
> > Should not be used?  Really?  Why?
> 
> "Should not be used" is perhaps over-stating the case, but it's an
> internal thingatpt function with a name that didn't reflect that, so
> renaming it is appropriate.

What makes it "internal"?  The name change is
based on it being internal, so the reason it's
considered internal can't be because of its name.

Does it have anything at all to do specifically
with thing-at-point?  What makes it a candidate
for being designated "internal"?

Does anything in the code or the doc string
suggest thing-at-point?

 "Read a Lisp expression from STR.
  Signal an error if the entire string was not used."

> It's up to you whether you want to use internal
> Emacs functions, of course.  Closing.

The alternative to using this function is to
reproduce its definition.  Is that better?

Wouldn't it be better to move this out of
thingatpt.el?  Isn't this function generally
useful?

I've copied the definition to two libraries,
unrelated to each other.  That says something
about how internal this is, no?