Splash screen problems

[Alan Mackenzie]

Hi, Emacs.

A happy Easter to all who observe it, and a good day to everybody else!

I recently tried to disable Emacs 22's splash screen (aka startup
message) because it was getting on my nerves.  As a first try, I put
"(setq inhibit-splash-screen t)" into my site-start.el (since the
irritation is just as intense when I start Emacs as root).  This didn't
work.

The Emacs manual (page "Initial Options") mentions the variable as an
aside, but fails to state it doesn't work in site-start.el.  It also
calls it "inhibit-startup-message", even though that name is now a mere
alias for inhibit-splash-screen.

I think "splash screen" (and "startup message") should appear in the
concept index, to make it easier for people to find the option.

The doc string for the variable does say "in your PERSONAL init file",
but I don't think this is emphatic enough, given how few variables
(few enough to be counted on the hands of one arm?) share this property
and that "in your init file" normally works equally well "in your
site-start.el".

So I propose the following changes:


2007-04-08  Alan Mackenzie  <address@hidden>

        * startup.el (inhibit-splash-screen): Emphatically state that it
        can't be set in site-start.el.


*** startup.el~ 2007-04-04 23:26:31.000000000 +0100
--- startup.el  2007-04-08 15:07:18.242746328 +0100
***************
*** 44,51 ****
    "Non-nil inhibits the startup screen.
  It also inhibits display of the initial message in the `*scratch*' buffer.
  
! This is for use in your personal init file, once you are familiar
! with the contents of the startup screen."
    :type 'boolean
    :group 'initialization)
  
--- 44,51 ----
    "Non-nil inhibits the startup screen.
  It also inhibits display of the initial message in the `*scratch*' buffer.
  
! This is for use in your personal init file (but NOT site-start.el), once
! you are familiar with the contents of the startup screen."
    :type 'boolean
    :group 'initialization)
  


2007-04-08  Alan Mackenzie  <address@hidden>

        * cmdargs.texi (Initial Options): Call "inhibit-splash-screen" by its
        new name.  Insert concept index entries.


*** cmdargs.texi~       2007-03-07 22:40:41.000000000 +0000
--- cmdargs.texi        2007-04-08 15:09:48.819855128 +0100
***************
*** 279,287 ****
  
  @item --no-splash
  @opindex --no-splash
! @vindex inhibit-startup-message
! Do not display a splash screen on startup; this is equivalent to
! setting the variable @code{inhibit-startup-message} to address@hidden
  
  @item --no-desktop
  @opindex --no-desktop
--- 279,292 ----
  
  @item --no-splash
  @opindex --no-splash
! @vindex inhibit-splash-screen
! @cindex splash screen
! @cindex startup message
! Do not display a splash screen on startup.  You can also achieve this
! effect by setting the variable @code{inhibit-splash-screen} to
! address@hidden in you personal init file (but @emph{not} in
! @file{site-start.el}).  (This variable was called
! @code{inhibit-startup-message} in previous Emacs versions.)
  
  @item --no-desktop
  @opindex --no-desktop


-- 
Alan Mackenzie (Ittersbach, Germany).