Re: feature request: explain current mumbo-jumbo in mode line

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Charles Sebold <csebold@ezl.com>
> Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.bug
> Date: 10 Apr 2001 11:42:15 -0500
> 
> Didn't see any followups here, but I think Dan meant that he wanted a
> function that would perhaps pop up a *Help* buffer, with a more verbose
> explanation of everything that is on the modeline.

That would be a good idea, but we need some way of invoking that
function which is obvious to newbies.  Since no commands or keys are
involved in just looking at the mode line, it's hard to find such an
obvious way.

Anyway, Emacs 21 shows such an explanation in a tooltip or in the echo
area (depending on what the underlying display can or cannot do), when
the mouse pointer is located on the relevant parts of the mode line.
Hopefully, this will be good enough for most users, since mice are
quite standard these days.