Re: bogus binding of M-s in Info (was: bogus binding of C-w in isearch editing mode)

[Juri Linkov]

Currently in Info `M-s' prevents starting a word search with `M-s w'
but a word search is very useful in text documents like Info manuals.
`M-s' is bound to `Info-search' that duplicates a binding `s' on the
same command.

Since there are now better ways to search for a regexp or a string in
Info manuals using incremental search commands C-s, C-M-s, C-r, C-M-r,
I propose to unbind `M-s' from `Info-search' in Info, thus allowing
using search commands from the global `M-s' prefix map like a word search
`M-s w' and occur `M-s o'.

A paragraph about `M-s' can be safely removed from info.texi
because the standalone Info reader doesn't bind `M-s'.

Index: lisp/info.el
===================================================================
RCS file: /sources/emacs/emacs/lisp/info.el,v
retrieving revision 1.553
diff -u -r1.553 info.el
--- lisp/info.el        3 Dec 2008 05:48:28 -0000       1.553
+++ lisp/info.el        18 Dec 2008 01:32:59 -0000
@@ -3241,8 +3241,6 @@
     (define-key map "r" 'Info-history-forward)
     (define-key map "s" 'Info-search)
     (define-key map "S" 'Info-search-case-sensitively)
-    ;; For consistency with Rmail.
-    (define-key map "\M-s" 'Info-search)
     (define-key map "\M-n" 'clone-buffer)
     (define-key map "t" 'Info-top-node)
     (define-key map "T" 'Info-toc)

Index: etc/NEWS
===================================================================
RCS file: /sources/emacs/emacs/etc/NEWS,v
retrieving revision 1.1951
diff -u -r1.1951 NEWS
--- etc/NEWS    18 Dec 2008 01:18:06 -0000      1.1951
+++ etc/NEWS    18 Dec 2008 01:33:20 -0000
@@ -314,6 +314,12 @@
 toggle word search.  To start nonincremental word search you can now use
 `M-s w RET' and `M-s w C-r RET' instead of `C-s RET C-w' and `C-r RET C-w'.
 
++++
+** In Info, `Info-search' is unbound from `M-s' to allow using
+`M-s w' for word search.  `Info-search' is still bound to `s',
+and also `C-s' and `C-M-s' are available for incremental search
+through multiple Info nodes.
+
 ---
 ** In Text mode, `center-line' and `center-paragraph' are rebound
 from `M-s' and `M-S' to global keys `M-o M-s' and `M-o M-S' on the

Index: doc/misc/info.texi
===================================================================
RCS file: /sources/emacs/emacs/doc/misc/info.texi,v
retrieving revision 1.8
diff -u -r1.8 info.texi
--- doc/misc/info.texi  19 Nov 2008 04:28:42 -0000      1.8
+++ doc/misc/info.texi  18 Dec 2008 01:34:05 -0000
@@ -1000,12 +1000,6 @@
 puts your cursor at the occurrence of the string, not at the beginning
 of the node).
 
address@hidden M-s @r{(Info mode)}
-  In Emacs, @kbd{Meta-s} is equivalent to @kbd{s}.  That is for
-compatibility with other GNU packages that use @kbd{M-s} for a similar
-kind of search command.  Both @kbd{s} and @kbd{M-s} run in Emacs the
-command @code{Info-search}.
-
 @kindex C-s @r{(Info mode)}
 @kindex C-r @r{(Info mode)}
 @findex isearch

-- 
Juri Linkov
http://www.jurta.org/emacs/