Subject: bug#24977: 25.1; search and query-replace in Dired

From: Drew Adams <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2016 10:37:06 -0800 (PST)

> > * Any multiline regexp.
> 
> We obviously can't support those.

But the commands whose bindings you displaced DO support them.

This is a major reason for this bug report (and bug #23428).
The replacement is strictly less powerful.  It is essentially
just a `grep' or `find'.  (And it depends on an outside program.)

> > * Any regexp that is outside what the current `grep' syntax uses.
> 
> Those should be doable, as long as the regexp contains at least
> _something_ else.

What does that mean?  Specify what you mean by "_something_ else".
Clearly you do NOT mean to support the regexps that Emacs supports.

> So if we identify the examples that are actually
> important, that would speed things along.

See above.  If you cannot replace Emacs regexp power, that's
OK, as long as we keep also the displaced commands that do
provide Emacs regexp power.

And those commands should preferably keep their longstanding
keybindings.

There is _no reason_ that you could not just add your new
commands and give them new keys.  This seems to have been a
gratuitous, and if not arrogant, expropriation.