Re: autoload and auto-compression-mode

[Richard M. Stallman]

      There are many variables in Emacs whose
    value only takes effect either by calling a function or by setting
    through Custom.

In the original Emacs design, ALL minor modes were controlled directly
by the value of a variable; there was no such thing as a variable you
could not effectively set with setq and effectively bind with let.

The existence of such variables is a flaw in the design.  It is
basically unclean.  I added them because more powerful minor modes are
very useful, but I wish we could get the same results without this
uncleanness.  We should avoid it when we can. 

So please don't ever argue for using this approach in one case
because we use it in other cases!