Subject: bug#24902: Antw: [EXT] Re: bug#24902: 25.1; C-x = for Unicode

From: Mattias Engdegård <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2022 15:16:34 +0100

27 jan. 2022 kl. 16.39 skrev Lars Ingebrigtsen <[email-masked]>:

> Stepping back a bit, `C-x =' does two things now, and neither very well:
> It says something about the character under point, and it says something
> about where in the buffer you are.
> 
> I think it might make more sense to split this into two commands, where
> one would more fully describe the character under point, and the other
> command says where you are in the buffer.

That's an interesting aspect and it is true that the user is only interested in one of the parts: either the character or the position (etc). On the other hand, both currently fit in the echo area (with some care; it's partly what this bug is about), and it is not clear that the added room for information motivates the increased cognitive load that an extra binding implies.

In a modern editor it would perhaps make sense to to have the position-related data in a live view that can be shown or hidden at any time. This is clearly popular for line and column numbers; some writers like live word counts, and so on. Character info is less useful as live information and more likely something called up on command.

For that matter, many users employ the vertical scroll bar as a live approximate position/size indicator. I just wish its height were based on lines instead of characters.

Anyway, what about making the proposed minor reform to `C-x =` now and plan for a more extensive overhaul separately?