Re: `*' interactive spec in some text-killing functions

[David Kastrup]

"Juanma Barranquero" <address@hidden> writes:

> The following functions from simple.el do not have the `*' interactive
> spec: zap-to-char, kill-line, kill-whole-line, kill-word,
> backward-kill-word. (They don't have a call to
> `barf-if-buffer-read-only', either).
>
> Using any of them in a read-only buffer does not delete text, but it
> moves the point forward (or backward, in the case of
> `backward-kill-word'), which is weird.
>
> Is that intended, or should they have `*' in the interactive spec?

The purpose of not having `*' presumably is to have them affect the
kill-ring.  In order to provide similar behavior upon multiple kills
as in a non-readonly-buffer, it appears reasonable to move across the
(non-happening) kill.

> Additionally, `overwrite-mode' and `binary-overwrite-mode' do not
> have `*' either. It is customary not to do so for minor modes, it is
> an oversight, or it is really preferred not to get an error message
> in interactive uses of the overwrite modes?

Uh what?  Switching to overwrite-mode/binary-overwrite-mode does not
change the buffer, does it?

-- 
David Kastrup