RE: [External] : Re: Proposal: new default bindings for winner and windmove

[Drew Adams]

> >So, currently, windmove is easily available to anybody that wants it,
> >and doesn't "waste" the key bindings of those who don't.
> 
> There is no "waste". We've gone over this at length. People who want to
> bind these keys can bind them still.

Irrelevant.  Users can ALWAYS rebind ANY keys.
That _cannot_ be a reason to bind any particular
key to any particular command by default.

As you say, we've gone over this before.  But
you don't seem to get it.

> Nobody is hurt by default bindings being present,

Everyone is hurt by extraneous, gratuitous,
premature default bindings.

> and all the arguments I've seen against these bindings are
> also arguments against having default bindings at all.

Again, all you have is an all-or-nothing argument.

Adding a given binding by default is a case to
be considered on its own, specific merits.

Not gratuitously adding <whatever> bindings by
default is not at all an argument that there
should be no default bindings.  This really
shouldn't be hard to understand.  Think about it.

Emacs has lots of default bindings.  They were
added conservatively over the long history of
Emacs.  Rarely is a default binding added just
as soon as some new command is added.

And nowadays there are relatively few keys that
are not bound by default - a rare resource.  So
the consideration and deliberation about binding
a new key by default are all the more important -
not to be done eagerly, willy nilly.

The best, and the most frequent approach taken
in Emacs is to add a command with no default
binding, and then see how users use it - how
much, and with what key bindings.  After a long
period providing experience by many users, the
question can be raised about whether, and if so
then which, key to bind to the command.

That just makes sense.  There's no reason to
precipitate the addition of global default
bindings for new commands that we add.

Think about it this way.  Consider the
evolution of the default Emacs UI as a process.
The principle of not eagerly granting default
bindings is just a case of the principle of
_late binding_: retarding the decision to bind
a key until its sure that that's really needed
- really the right thing.

You think you're sure that Emacs should grant
these default key bindings to these commands
RIGHT NOW!!  Let time, and user experience,
and user voices - more voices - decide.

Nothing is lost by taking the "late binding"
approach to such a design decision.  As you
like to say, any user, including you, can
bind the keys you want to these new commands. 

> The point is that out of the box Emacs should
> be useful and useable

Which it is.

> the lack of default bindings for windmove makes
> it less so,

Why do you think so?

If that were the case then windmove should be
turned on as a minor mode, and with these keys
bound in its minor-mode map.  Who would object
to that?  (Why are we even discussing this,
instead of just doing that?)

> there's little downside to adding these bindings.

That's what you don't get.  There's a big
downside to adding these bindings for everyone
NOW.  Come back in a few years with your
arguments.  (Who knows, maybe by then you'll
even have different keys you prefer instead. ;-))