Re: Use of dedicated windows in gdb-mi.el

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Oleh Krehel <address@hidden>
> Cc: address@hidden,  address@hidden
> Date: Mon, 09 Feb 2015 19:11:27 +0100
> 
> >> > Don't you _want_ to see the output of a program you are debugging?
> >> 
> >> Nope. I can see all that I need through "p". The actual program output
> >> for my particular program is barely relevant during runtime, and completely
> >> irrelevant during debug time.
> >
> > Then perhaps a better solution would be an option not to pop the
> > *output* window at all, so that the need to switch to another buffer
> > in that window is eliminated?  Would you like such a solution better?
> 
> No this won't work. I don't want *output* in this particular program. I
> might want it for others.

If the option not to pop it is a defcustom, you can turn it on when
you want *output* and off when you don't.

> I just want the typical approach of burying a buffer once and then
> having it not surface, even if there's new output.

The option not to pop it in a window will solve this as well, right?

> Just imagine the havoc of *Messages* being a dedicated window and
> popping up each time there's a new message, even if you bury it.

JFYI, there are people who like to configure Emacs like that.  You've
just heard from one of them.  To each their own.

> I dislike non-soft dedicated windows because they're bad design.

Others will disagree.  gdb-many-windows is for them; if you don't like
that, it's very easy not to request those windows.

> I guess that I could just advice `set-window-dedicated-p' to be a
> noop in all cases.

If that's what you prefer.  I still think that an option to pop or not
to pop the *output* window, which is the only one that opens without
your say-so, is a better solution.  It gives you what you want without
affecting unrelated features and other users.

> If you have 9 minutes and a way to view Youtube videos, you can see my
> demo of a neat approach to manipulating windows (especially the window
> swap). This approach of course won't work with non-soft dedicated
> windows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qZliI1BKzI.

That's cute, but is this related to GDB-MI and the issue being
discussed here?  If so, how?