Re: delete-selection-mode as default (WAS: Some developement questions)

[Noam Postavsky]

>> > > > we should turn on `delete-selection-mode' by default.
>> > >
>> > > I don't think we can, because it gets in the way when editing code.
>> >
>> > How so? It doesn't get in my way. Quite the contrary - I appreciate
>> > it for editing code. Please give a recipe
>>
>> Type "C-x C-x", then some letter: puff! the whole region is gone.
>> This could be okay in text modes, but in code buffers users generally
>> don't replace regions with single letters.

I don't understand why a user who is okay with replacing the region
with a single letter in text mode, would all of sudden dislike the
idea in a code buffer.
Or, conversely, why a user who dislikes replacing the region with a
single letter in code buffers, would suddenly be happly about it in a
text buffer.

> It's equivalent to your doing this without `delete-selection-mode':
> C-x C-x M-w, then some letter

I guess you meant C-w there.

> I see zero difference between editing code and editing plain prose,
> in this regard. In both cases the selection can be replaced by typing,

As mentioned above, I agree with this.

> and that's a plus, not a minus.

Maybe. My feeling from using non-Emacs editors (gasp!), is that the
main use of this sort of thing is rather for replacing the selection
by pasting, not so about much typing. Or, for when some feature
inserts some default text, it highlights that text, indicating to the
user that they may replace it by typing (i.e., it's rare that a
user-created selection is deleted by typing).