Re: w32 does not have emacsclient/server - getting paper size

[Lennart Borgman]

Jason Rumney wrote:

> Lennart Borgman <address@hidden> writes:
>
>  
>
> > An implementation for accessing Registry on w32 was offered some
> > years ago, but was not accepted.
> >    
>
> I don't recall this. If it was anything like most such offers, someone
> submitted some code, the Emacs developers suggested some improvements,
> and we never heard from the author on that topic again.
>  
I was not here then, it is history for me, so I am not sure about all 
details. I believe Steve Kemp implemented this. I think I have seen 
several versions though. I just checked the net and could not find the 
version I was thinking of.

This included capabilities to right to the Registry (if I remember 
correctly), but I consider those potentially harmful. Writing should be 
done under very good control (since it could make a disaster) and I do 
not consider even an editor as Emacs as giving that tight control.

> But anyway, reading specific settings from the registry does not
> require general registry editing functionality.
>  
I see no reason why Emacs should be able to edit the w32 Registry, but 
reading it would be very convenient. It should not be seen as giving 
Emacs extra features on w32. Rather it is another way to accomplish the 
same thing that are already easily accomplished on unix like systems. 
(At least I believe that this is the state.)

Paper size is one I remember right now. Another is the location of 
Ghostscript. If Emacs could read the registry then such things would be 
easy to get by just writing some elisp code for it. Am I not right 
assuming that these things are already easy to get on unix like systems?