Subject: Re: bug#64619: [PATCH] Add toggle-window-dedicated command

From: Gregory Heytings <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2023 22:36:45 +0000

>
> In fact, I initially used strong dedication in my patch.  But I found it 
> annoying that I had to turn off strong dedication explicitly if I wanted 
> to switch to another buffer.  That's what made me realize that weak 
> dedication was better.
>

It's not annoying, it's what dedication is for.  It's not more annoying 
than using C-x C-q in a buffer, and later typing something in that buffer 
and realizing (with a similar error message) that it doesn't work: you get 
what you asked.

>
> But C-x b doesn't use display buffer, and instead just errors when the 
> current window is strongly dedicated, which I think is fairly useless 
> behavior; the user reaction is almost always going to be annoyance 
> followed by C-x w d and C-x b again. So I think weak dedication is 
> better.
>

If you think that's annoying, then I'd suggest setting the 
switch-to-buffer-in-dedicated-window configuration option.  It's there for 
a reason, and you can select between no less than four behaviors: one of 
them is likely the one you want.

>
> Eh, I agree with others in that thread, I don't think C-x w d should run 
> delete-buffer. :)
>

I don't know which "others" you have in mind, I do recall that some 
disagreed (is there a single topic on emacs-devel on which no one 
disagrees?), but IIRC at least Lars said that it would be nice to have a 
full repertoire of commands to manage windows under C-x w.

>
> But this does make me think that maybe toggle-window-dedicated should 
> not have a default binding at first.  We can see if people use it and 
> only then give it a binding.  I'm fine with that.
>

I'm fine with that, too.