bug#21695: 25.0.50; Change most occurrences of `setq' in Emacs manual to `customize-set-variable'? Really?

[Arthur Miller]

Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org> writes:

> [[[ To any NSA and FBI agents reading my email: please consider    ]]]
> [[[ whether defending the US Constitution against all enemies,     ]]]
> [[[ foreign or domestic, requires you to follow Snowden's example. ]]]
>
> There are a few customization options that are not really variables
> and need to be set with `customize-set-variable'.
>
> However, the rest of them are variables and normally set with `setq'
> and friends.
>
> Telling users to set them all with `customize-set-variable' will be a
> significant hassle.  What's more, users will disregard this instruction.
> `setq' is easy to remember and we all know it.
>
> Having a recommendation in the manual which users will generally
> reject is in itself a problem.
>
> I think we should address this some other way.  Here are some ideas.
>
> * indicate the few customization options
>    which are not really variables.
> * tell people how to check whether
>    a customization options is really a variable.
> * warn about setq for a customization option that isn't really a variable.

Not many people seem to prefer customize to simply setq-ing in their init file,
so I think that what you propose is a much better alternative.