Subject: bug#51927: [External] : Re: bug#51927: 27.2; Rename `highlight-nonselected-windows'

From: Drew Adams <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2021 17:51:46 +0000

> > This variable seems poorly named, in more ways than one.  Could we
> > consider renaming it (by aliasing and perhaps deprecating the old name)?
> 
> I agree that it's poorly named.  In bug#49844 we are
> developing a new feature for which the most suitable
> name would be `highlight-nonselected-windows' -
> it will highlight nonselected windows by changing
> their background color. Unfortunately this name is
> already occupied by this unrelated variable.

Use a less ideal name for it, e.g. something
like: change-window-backgrounds or
highlight-windows-not-selected.

> But like Eli said it's too late to rename this variable.

It's too late to remove that name from this option.
Which means it's not possible to use that same
name for some other option (e.g. your new one).

But it's not too late to alias the old option,
providing it another, better name.  And it's not
too late to favor that better name in doc, help,
apropos, etc.

It's fine to use "too late" for incompatible
changes, when it's really too late or impossible
to change something.

That really _doesn't_ apply, logically, to being
able to provide a better name by aliasing, and it
really _shouldn't_ be applied.