GNU bug report logs - #7260
24.0.50; DEL screwed up

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From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
To: rms <at> gnu.org
Cc: 7260 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>, emacs-devel <at> gnu.org
Subject: bug#7260: 24.0.50; DEL screwed up
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:52:05 +0200

Richard Stallman <rms <at> gnu.org> writes:

> C-x C-x is the main way to activate an existing region in Transient
> Mark mode.  To make that require C-u will be a different pain in the
> neck.

I wasn't present when the discussion to make `C-x C-x' do these things
took place, but it seems like the current behaviour conflates to rather
different actions -- exchange-point-and-mark, and activate-region.  How
about just decoupling them altogether, and let `C-x C-x' revert to
(only) doing what it's always done, and add `C-x C-a' for
`activate-region'?

`C-u C-x C-x' could still do both at once, for people who like that a
lot. 

> The change for C-d and DEL to delete all regions was too radically
> incompatible to make made without polling the users first.  The right
> thing to do is take that change out, then address the issue the right
> way: by polling the users.

It sounds rather odd to have `C-d' not delete the active region.  If
you (for instance) Shift-Right an area, and then press `DEL', I think
most people would expect the region you've just selected to be deleted.

So I think there are two completely separate issues here:

1) Should `C-x C-x' activate the region?  I think not, because it drives
   me totally insane.

2) Should `DEL' delete the active region?  I think it makes sense, but
   it might be too surprising.  And `C-w' already exists to do that, so
   there doesn't seem to be a really compelling reason for that
   behaviour.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
  larsi <at> gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen

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