GNU bug report logs - #24510
25.1; Info: searching for ` does not find what looks like `

Previous Next

Full log

View this message in rfc822 format

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Clément Pit--Claudel <clement.pit <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 24510 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#24510: 25.1; Info: searching for ` does not find what looks like `
Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2016 21:34:02 +0300

> Cc: 24510 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
> From: Clément Pit--Claudel <clement.pit <at> gmail.com>
> Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2016 14:14:52 -0400
> 
> On 2016-09-24 13:57, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> > I find it hard to believe you
> > are saying that we should switch from Courier New to MingLiu as the
> > default font: that'd be absurd.
> 
> It doesn't feel more more absurd than using Courier New in the first place, frankly.

It does to me.

> > Emacs supports non-programming applications as well, not just
> > programming modes.  In fact, the trigger for this discussion was Info,
> > a non-programming mode very close to Text mode.
> 
> Why does info use a monospace font?

Because Texinfo produces filled text on the assumption that it will be
displayed with monospaced font.  The Info format was invented for
text-mode readers, and it uses hard newlines where the line should be
broken.  This doesn't work well with variable-pitch fonts.

> > We use a monospaced font for the default face because it suits well
> > both programming and non-programming modes, and because aligning text
> > is much easier with such a font.  Text alignment is important in modes
> > that present summaries in tabular form, like modes that show listing
> > of buffers, email summaries, Dired, Proced, etc.
> 
> Doesn't we the special 'space' display property make it possible to properly align variable-width fonts?

Of course, it does.  But most Lisp applications don't bother doing
that, even though the facility is available since Emacs 21.  Counting
columns is so much easier.

Previous Next

GNU bug tracking system
Copyright (C) 1999 Darren O. Benham, 1997,2003 nCipher Corporation Ltd, 1994-97 Ian Jackson.