RE: display.texi: (<line>,<col>) isn't documented.

[Drew Adams]

>     1. If you use the mouse to select text, then having the
>        region size always visisble (when active) means not
>        having to use `M-=': double-click + click, or drag a
>        region - you see how big it is as you drag.
>
> In a case like this, if you have seen the region all the time
> you were dragging it, why is it useful to see the size?

Quick, select 50 characters starting...there. You might use the keyboard to
place the cursor and then use `C-u 50', but you might instead just grab the
mouse, drag, and stop when the size is 50.

Honestly, I don't want to belabor this. I said that it is only a minor
convenience. I'm glad to have it, but if others don't see the point, so be
it.

>     2. In transient mark mode, when you use `C-SPC' the region
>        becomes active, even though it is empty. This mode-line
>        indicator shows you that the region is active even when
>        you can't see it. When a command (e.g. query-replace)
>        limits itself to the region, this helps you avoid the
>        exercise of figuring out that you are acting on an
>        empty region.
>
> That is logical, but how often does such a problem occur?  The first
> thing an Emac suser will do when something seems broken is type C-g,
> and that will deactivate the mark.

Granted. All I can say is that I find the highlighted `0 chars' indicator in
the mode-line useful. I've used transient mark mode (and delete-selection
mode) for years, so I'm used to doing what you describe, but I find this
indicator quite useful. I miss it, for instance, when I'm using Emacs 20
(which can't use this library).

Recently, David make a remark against turning on transient-mark-mode by
default, saying that "unintended active regions" lead to "constant
interference...with both buffer display and operation". I'm not sure what he
had in mind, but perhaps an unexpected empty region is part of it.

Better to not have to reflect and determine that "something seems broken".