bug#1749: 23.0.60; Emacs manual, node Mode Line

[Drew Adams]

This node deserves more and more careful explanation. The text seems
overly difficult and unclear.
 
It describes the constituents of this template:
 
     -CS:CH-FR  BUF      POS LINE   (MAJOR MINOR)------
 
However, some of the unnamed elements of this template are just as
variable as the elements that are named. The descriptions then become
a labyrinth of if-then-else anecdotes. The `:', for instance, is
referred to as "the character after CS', and it is explained that it
is sometimes `:', sometimes `\', sometimes `/', and sometimes
`(Unix)'. That's at least as variable as CS or CH - might as well give
it a name too.
 
Some of the language used is incorrect: "Letters represent various
nontrivial "coding systems"--for example, `1' represents ISO Latin-1."
But `1' is not a letter.

 
In GNU Emacs 23.0.60.1 (i386-mingw-nt5.1.2600)
 of 2008-12-30 on LENNART-69DE564
Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 5.1.2600
configured using `configure --with-gcc (3.4) --no-opt --cflags -Ic:/g/include
-fno-crossjumping'