bug#13531: 24.2.92; Normally closed Emacs leaves autosave files

[Lars Ingebrigtsen]

Michael Heerdegen <michael_heerdegen@web.de> writes:

> I mean this behavior:
>
> 0.  Start emacs -Q
> 1.  Find any file that is writable for you
> 2.  Make some change
> 3.  You've changed your mind.  You type C-x C-c.
>     Type n to negate the "Save file ..." question
>     Type "yes" to answer the "Modified buffers exist; exit anyway?"
>     question
>
> As a result, Emacs exits, but it leaves an autosave file.  IMHO this
> shouldn't be the case, because the user decidedly wanted to discard his
> changes.  Autosave files should only survive a session if Emacs crashed.
>
> With the current behavior, we only confuse users because they will think
> that the autosave files come from a crash, and will want to check if
> they have to recover anything.

It is perhaps somewhat confusing to auto-save files in this way
(especially after the user has answered "no" to the "save file..."
question), but I think on the whole that this behaviour is safer than
just discarding the contents.  Because we all answer stuff wrong once in
a while, and not saving something you wanted to save after all is a
bigger catastrophe than auto-saving a bit too much.

So I don't think not auto-saving will be too popular, and I'm closing
this bug report.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no