GNU bug report logs - #6909
transient-mark-mode

Previous Next

To add a comment to this bug, you must first unarchive it, by sending
a message to control AT debbugs.gnu.org, with unarchive 6909 in the body.
You can then email your comments to 6909 AT debbugs.gnu.org in the normal way.

Toggle the display of automated, internal messages from the tracker.

Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Marco Bisetto <marco <at> folgorante.net>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: transient-mark-mode
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:58:53 +0000

Hi all,

This is not a bug, it's a wrong feature:

- transient-mark-mode on by default is a bad idea

- transient-mark-mode is a bad idea per se: you must press more keys and
  waste energy for no reason

- Active Region Highlighting is nonsense if you use rectangles such as in
  C-x r t

- Active Region Highlighting is a pain if you change your mind and no more
  want to act on the region you just marked

* transient-mark-mode off by default is a possible workaround to this bad
  situation where everybody must set it to nil in the configuration file

Bye.

--
Marco Bisetto

A few releases ago theese three lines weren't necessary in .emacs.el:

(global-set-key [home] 'beginning-of-buffer)
(global-set-key [end] 'end-of-buffer)
(setq transient-mark-mode nil)

Message #8 received at 6909 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Alan Mackenzie <acm <at> muc.de>
To: Marco Bisetto <marco <at> folgorante.net>
Cc: 6909 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#6909: transient-mark-mode
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:10:36 +0000

Hi, Marco

On Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 12:58:53PM +0000, Marco Bisetto wrote:
> Hi all,

> This is not a bug, it's a wrong feature:

Agreed

> - transient-mark-mode on by default is a bad idea

Agreed emphatically.

> - transient-mark-mode is a bad idea per se: you must press more keys and
>   waste energy for no reason

Yes, indeed.

> - Active Region Highlighting is nonsense if you use rectangles such as in
>   C-x r t

Wouldn't know, since I've never used "Active Region Highlighting".

> - Active Region Highlighting is a pain if you change your mind and no more
>   want to act on the region you just marked

I'm sure you're right.

> * transient-mark-mode off by default is a possible workaround to this bad
>   situation where everybody must set it to nil in the configuration file

Be thankful that there _is_ a workaround.

> Bye.

There's a history here.  About 2 or 3 years ago, there was long,
acrimonious, and bitter (don't slag me off for tautology :-) debate on
the Emacs developers' mailing list about making transient-mark-mode
enabled by default.  Every point you've raised (and quite a lot you
haven't) was fiercely fought over.  In the end, the maintainers of Emacs
decided to leave the misfeature in.

Apparently, there are quite a lot of people who actually like t-m-m; I
can't imagine why.

I predict that, rather sadly, your bug report will be shoved to one side
and not acted upon.  Nobody, not even me, wants to reopen the matter for
more argument.

Thanks indeed, though, for taking the trouble to submit this bug report.

> --
> Marco Bisetto

-- 
Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany).

Message #11 received at 6909 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Bastien <bzg <at> altern.org>
To: Alan Mackenzie <acm <at> muc.de>
Cc: Marco Bisetto <marco <at> folgorante.net>, 6909 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#6909: transient-mark-mode
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:52:55 +0200

Alan Mackenzie <acm <at> muc.de> writes:

> I predict that, rather sadly, your bug report will be shoved to one side
> and not acted upon.  Nobody, not even me, wants to reopen the matter for
> more argument.

I guess it's never too late to make a poll and see whether most emacs
users are using the default or changing it.

-- 
 Bastien

Message #16 received at 6909-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Glenn Morris <rgm <at> gnu.org>
To: 6909-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#6909: transient-mark-mode
Date: Sat, 09 Jul 2011 14:56:06 -0400

I don't see a point to keeping this particular report open.
The issue has been done to death on other emacs mailing lists.

Previous Next

GNU bug tracking system
Copyright (C) 1999 Darren O. Benham, 1997,2003 nCipher Corporation Ltd, 1994-97 Ian Jackson.