bug#39293: [PATCH] Base bookmark-bmenu-mode on 'tabulated-list-mode'

[Stefan Kangas]

Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com> writes:

>> Any comments, objections or suggestions?  Thanks.
>
> I _strongly_ object to this.  And I would say the same
> thing if such a suggestion were made for Dired.

- This is not about Dired, so let's please leave that to one side.

- This is not just code cleanup.  I think 'tabulated-list-mode' gives
  clear benefits to users today.  Sorting is one example which will
  immediately improve.  Mouse support is another.

- I'm not convinced that it's necessary, but I don't see the problem
  with an interactive bookmark menu in bookmark+.el (or any
  third-party package really) that is not directly based on the code
  in Emacs.

> 2. Not appreciating the specificity of the features
>    offered by libraries such as Dired and bookmarking.
>
>    Not being well acquainted with such features, and
>    so supposing that they don't exist or they're no
>    big deal and not worth bothering about.

Which features are you talking about?

>   Sorting in Dired or the bookmark list (at least with
>   Bookmark+) is _much more_ useful and flexible than
>   just sorting columns.  Why?  Because the things
>   displayed are of different kinds across rows, not
>   just across columns.  The columns, for bookmark-list
>   display, are less interesting (this is less true of
>   Dired, but the same consideration holds).

I don't understand this argument.  It seems to be based on the
misunderstanding that 'tabulated-list-mode' somehow limits you to sort
by column.

> Yes, I use it (e.g. in my library `apu.el').  But it
> is very limited, and the limitations do not just stem
> from a lack of more generic features.  I use it only
> when it's appropriate.

To my mind, this is the most convincing argument you presented.  Yet
you have not shown any limitations in 'tabulated-list-mode' that makes
it unsuitable for 'bookmark-bmenu-mode'.  Could you please explain
which limitations you see, and how you concretely see them affecting
bookmark-bmenu-mode?

Best regards,
Stefan Kangas