dired-ls-sorting-switches

[joseph]

To: bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
Subject: dired-ls-sorting-switches
Reply-to: josephpatterson@lucent.com
FCC: ~/rmail
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In GNU Emacs 21.2.1 (i386-redhat-linux-gnu, X toolkit, Xaw3d scroll bars)
 of 2003-02-20 on porky.devel.redhat.com
configured using `configure  --host=i386-redhat-linux --build=i386-redhat-linux
--target=i386-redhat-linux-gnu --program-prefix= --prefix=/usr 
--exec-prefix=/usr
--bindir=/usr/bin --sbindir=/usr/sbin --sysconfdir=/etc --datadir=/usr/share
--includedir=/usr/include --libdir=/usr/lib --libexecdir=/usr/libexec 
--localstatedir=/var
--sharedstatedir=/usr/com --mandir=/usr/share/man --infodir=/usr/share/info 
--with-gcc
--with-pop --with-sound'
Important settings:
  value of $LC_ALL: nil
  value of $LC_COLLATE: nil
  value of $LC_CTYPE: nil
  value of $LC_MESSAGES: nil
  value of $LC_MONETARY: nil
  value of $LC_NUMERIC: nil
  value of $LC_TIME: nil
  value of $LANG: en_US.UTF-8
  locale-coding-system: utf-8
  default-enable-multibyte-characters: t

Please describe exactly what actions triggered the bug
and the precise symptoms of the bug:

Dired mode fails to honor the value of dired-ls-sorting-switches.  When I open 
an
xterm and type "ls -lav", I get the directory listing that I am accustomed to 
and 
greatly prefer.  When I set dired-ls-sorting-switches in my .emacs file to 
"lav",
there is no change in the sorting order of the same directory when in 
dired-mode in
an emacs window.  I really despise the default sorting order.  It is an 
abomination.

The help for dired-ls-sorting-switches indicates that it controls sorting
used in dired mode.  That help is as follows:

Documentation:
String of `ls' switches (single letters) except `t' that influence sorting.

I completely despise the default sorting rules forced on me by recent versions 
of
linux and they are exacerbated by Stallman's constructing ls as a bash shell 
builtin.
That prevents me from redefining ls to always use the -v option in my bin and 
setting
my bin ahead of all other PATH directories.  I am forced to the unpleasantness 
of
changing the name of ls to get it to default to sorting using the -v option.  I 
can
understand that emacs ought to follow the environmental defaults.  Emacs should 
at least
honor the changes to dired-ls-sorting-switches when in dired mode.  Stallman 
deserves
an angry email from each person who shares my irritation.  Feedback is an 
important
part of progress.

Joseph Patterson
joseph@vlsidesigntools.com