Re: Fundamental mode vs. special mode

[Alan Mackenzie]

Hello, Juri

On Mon, Oct 24, 2011 at 08:11:33AM +0300, Juri Linkov wrote:
> Perhaps there should be a clearer separation between edit and view modes.
> So in edit mode (even when major mode is derived from `special-mode'),
> all single key should be self-inserting.  And in view mode (including
> modes derived from `special-mode') single keys like `q' and `g' are
> acceptable because the buffer is read-only anyway.  Actually we already
> have a keybinding to switch between edit and view modes: `C-x C-q'.

I'm against this, on several counts.  Read-onlyness shouldn't be thought
of as a minor mode.  It's merely a property of a buffer which, e.g.,
mirrors a property in the filesystem.  The concept of "edit mode" vs.
"view mode" is far too close to "insert mode" vs. "command mode" for
comfort.

In any mode, each key-sequence should do one well established thing, not
performing alternate commands based on read-onlyness.  Exceptions should
be justified individually.

-- 
Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany).