GNU bug report logs - #66706
[PATCH] Automatic elisp dialect insertion

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From: Po Lu <luangruo <at> yahoo.com>
To: Stefan Monnier <monnier <at> iro.umontreal.ca>
Cc: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>, Mattias Engdegård <mattias.engdegard <at> gmail.com>, 66706 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, stefankangas <at> gmail.com
Subject: bug#66706: [PATCH] Automatic elisp dialect insertion
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2023 09:20:35 +0800

Po Lu <luangruo <at> yahoo.com> writes:

> I want this off by default.  We teach users to enable lexical binding in
> the Lisp introduction and a myriad of other places; inserting lexical

I was mistaken here.  Lexical binding is briefly mentioned as
non-default behavior.

So why are we attempting to remedy this pitfall of the novice in Emacs
Lisp mode by inserting a feature hitherto _undocumented_ in our manual
for the uninitiated?  Everything suggest to me that documenting lexical
binding in the manual is the proper course of action.

> binding cookies is not "the icing on the cake", but a gesture that
> implies we should override the judgement of our users, and are willing
> to browbeat them into abiding by such notions of ours.
>
> Similar measures taken by other software bespeaks the existence of a
> sense of superiority in their developers; doubtless, they think it
> beyond their users to read several pages of documentation pertaining to
> lexical binding, and to make from that an informed decision.
>
> Users who know what lexical-binding controls will enable it without any
> wheedling, should they so desire.  Users who don't or won't will delete
> the cookie, then repine about its presence; quite justly at that, for
> software which holds its users in such low regard is nothing except
> impertinent.
>
> We never insert text to enforce our conceptions of good practice in any
> major mode.  Such is the first step down a very precipitous slope, which
> culminates in the adoption of the haughty attitude that other software
> has seized upon with particular zeal.

I recognize this argument is grounded wholly on principle, but principle
itself is as important a consideration as any other.

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