GNU bug report logs - #73544
smerge key bindings awkward

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Message #43 received at 73544 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Daniel Colascione <dancol <at> dancol.org>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 73544 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, dmitry <at> gutov.dev, monnier <at> iro.umontreal.ca
Subject: Re: bug#73544: smerge key bindings awkward
Date: Sun, 13 Oct 2024 12:57:01 -0400

On October 13, 2024 12:13:49 PM EDT, Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> wrote:
>> Date: Sun, 13 Oct 2024 12:01:33 -0400
>> From: Daniel Colascione <dancol <at> dancol.org>
>> CC: monnier <at> iro.umontreal.ca, dmitry <at> gutov.dev, 73544 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On October 13, 2024 7:06:11 AM EDT, Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org> wrote:
>> >> Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2024 07:50:50 -0700
>> >> From: Daniel Colascione <dancol <at> dancol.org>
>> >> CC: dmitry <at> gutov.dev, 73544 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
>> >> 
>> >Actually, I see that the first part of this is already there: we have
>> >a defcustom smerge-auto-leave, whose default is t.  So does it mean we
>> >can consider this bug fixed?
>> 
>> The default is what produces the problem.
>
>Sure, but you can customize it according to your needs.  It's been the
>default for the last 24 years, so I think reversing it after such a
>long time would need a lot of complaints.

It's a defect in the user interface. Going NIMBY on the core is no way to make great software. We need to be able to add new key bindings, new features, and sand down high friction parts of the UI, even if they've been bumpy for a long time. 

After a certain point, customizing the program to work around all the terrible inherited defaults the maintainers refuse to change becomes tantamount to maintaining a fork. I guess that's why Doom exists.

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