Re: Invoking Magit

[Karl Fogel]

On 02 Feb 2021, Stefan Monnier wrote:
> > Magit should instead suggest `C-c g' as an entry point for 
> > `magit-status', though a user can bind it however they want of 
> > course.  I doubt there are any Magit users who would be daunted 
> > by the need to set up a keybinding for Magit's entry point. 
> I think it'd make more sense to use a keybinding under the `C-x 
> v` prefix.

Well, sure, if Emacs wants to deliberately give some keybinding 
space to a popular 3rd-party package like Magit, that's fine 
(personally I think I'd be in favor in this case, given Magit's 
popularity).

But Emacs makes that decision, not Magit.  In other words, the 
crucial question is: who exactly is the subject of the verb "use" 
in your last sentence above?  Is it Emacs, or the user?

Emacs already has conventions [1] about keyspaces reserved for 
users versus those reserved for packages (well, modes, and this 
entry point to Magit is not exactly a mode).  According to those 
conventions:

 * `C-c LETTER' is for users to do with as they like -- neither 
 Emacs 
   nor third-party packages should ever bind anything here.

 * `C-c C-LETTER' and `C-c DIGIT' and `C-c {}<>:;' are all 
 reserved for 
   major modes.  In this case it doesn't matter whether the mode 
   ships with GNU Emacs or is a 3rd-party mode, since only one 
   major mode is active at a given time.  If a user has chosen 
   the mode, then they accept that part of the keybinding space 
   (sure, they might customize it further, but that's up to them 
   -- they understand that they may overwrite default bindings of 
   the mode when they do that).

 * `C-c OTHER_STUFF' is for minor modes; I'll skip the details 
 here.

So Emacs is free to reserve space under `C-x v' for Magit entry 
points if it wants to.  That would be an unusual decision, but 
there's no reason not to consider it.  However, when you wrote 
this...

> I think it'd make more sense to use a keybinding under the `C-x 
> v` prefix.

...I couldn't tell whether you meant it would make more sense for 
*users* to do that (i.e., by their choice), or for *Emacs* to do 
that (i.e., we reserve that slot for Magit).

IMHO we shouldn't recommend the former, because we already 
recommend to users that `C-c LETTER' is where they should do such 
custom bindings, and we should encourage use of that convention.

But if you meant the latter, then that's a different discussion 
and one worth having.

> Another option would be to hijack `find-file` like PCL-CVS did, 
> i.e. make it so `C-x C-f .../.git` opens up Magit. 

(Oh my gosh, it's been *years* since I used PCL-CVS... you are 
bringing back memories... :-) )

I hope we wouldn't do that here.  There are many reasons why 
someone might open up a .git directory in Dired Mode (I do it all 
the time) by doing `C-x C-f .../.git'.

Best regards, -Karl 

[1] 
https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/elisp/Key-Binding-Conventions.html