bug#24510: 25.1; Info: searching for ` does not find what looks like `

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Cc: 24510@debbugs.gnu.org
> From: Clément Pit--Claudel <clement.pit@gmail.com>
> Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2016 14:14:52 -0400
> 
> On 2016-09-24 13:57, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> > I find it hard to believe you
> > are saying that we should switch from Courier New to MingLiu as the
> > default font: that'd be absurd.
> 
> It doesn't feel more more absurd than using Courier New in the first place, 
> frankly.

It does to me.

> > Emacs supports non-programming applications as well, not just
> > programming modes.  In fact, the trigger for this discussion was Info,
> > a non-programming mode very close to Text mode.
> 
> Why does info use a monospace font?

Because Texinfo produces filled text on the assumption that it will be
displayed with monospaced font.  The Info format was invented for
text-mode readers, and it uses hard newlines where the line should be
broken.  This doesn't work well with variable-pitch fonts.

> > We use a monospaced font for the default face because it suits well
> > both programming and non-programming modes, and because aligning text
> > is much easier with such a font.  Text alignment is important in modes
> > that present summaries in tabular form, like modes that show listing
> > of buffers, email summaries, Dired, Proced, etc.
> 
> Doesn't we the special 'space' display property make it possible to properly 
> align variable-width fonts?

Of course, it does.  But most Lisp applications don't bother doing
that, even though the facility is available since Emacs 21.  Counting
columns is so much easier.