From: Eli Zaretskii Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2024 18:54:52 +0000 (+0300) Subject: Write Antinews for Emacs 30 ELisp Reference X-Git-Url: http://git.eshelyaron.com/gitweb/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=d86afec5287a163ef61d5eea4f3a4f88e026dd33;p=emacs.git Write Antinews for Emacs 30 ELisp Reference * doc/lispref/anti.texi (Antinews): * doc/lispref/elisp.texi (Top): Rewrite "Antinews" for Emacs 30. (cherry picked from commit 039e6ffd86650b26364d1fab1014e19dfcab3b21) --- diff --git a/doc/lispref/anti.texi b/doc/lispref/anti.texi index 0cb956eea98..8dba137ca31 100644 --- a/doc/lispref/anti.texi +++ b/doc/lispref/anti.texi @@ -6,178 +6,113 @@ @c This node must have no pointers. @node Antinews -@appendix Emacs 28 Antinews +@appendix Emacs 29 Antinews @c Update the elisp.texi Antinews menu entry with the above version number. For those users who live backwards in time, here is information about -downgrading to Emacs version 28.2. We hope you will enjoy the greater +downgrading to Emacs version 29.4. We hope you will enjoy the greater simplicity that results from the absence of many @w{Emacs @value{EMACSVER}} features. @itemize @bullet @item -The implementation of overlays is back to its simple, time-proven -storage in a pair of linear linked lists centered around some buffer -position. No more fancy interval trees and suchlikes. Lisp programs -that use overlays once again need to recenter overlays around the -buffer position of interest, and display-related features should again -make sure they don't use too many overlays in a buffer, lest redisplay -will be too slow. +Mouse wheel events once again follow the platform and window-system +conventions: sometimes they are @code{wheel-up/down} and sometimes +@code{mouse-4/5/6/7}. Lisp programs which use these should once again +be aware of the conventions in effect and behave accordingly. @item -Several functions stopped the annoying conversion of quotes and key -sequences by no longer calling @code{substitute-command-keys}. One -prominent example is @code{format-prompt} and all its many callers. -This makes the strings they produce much more predictable, returning -to you, the Lisp programmer, control on which punctuation characters -will appear in the text presented to the users. For similar reasons, -the @code{substitute-quotes} function was deleted. +The command @code{describe-function} no longer distracts you by showing +unnecessary details like the type of the function's object. Emacs +hackers always know whether a function is a primitive, a native-compiled +Lisp function, or any other kind. Stating the obvious simply wastes the +precious screen estate; as you move into the past, and the typical +dimensions of the screen become smaller, that waste is less and less +justified. So we made the waste smaller. @item -The venerable @code{buffer-modified-p} function again reliably returns -either @code{nil} or @code{t}, not any other confusing values. +The support for styled underline in face attribute was dropped. The +simple underline should be enough; anything else is just code bloat and +creeping featurism. Colorful underlines on TTY frames are no longer +supported for the same reason. @item -The support for @samp{medium} weight of fonts was dropped. Emacs now -considers @samp{medium} and @samp{regular} weights to be the same. We -believe this will simplify your font setup, since there's no longer a -need to worry about fonts that support @samp{regular} weight, but not -the @samp{medium} one, or vice versa: either one will do! +IELM stopped recording its input history. You will no longer be annoyed +by inputs from your past sessions; each session starts with a clean +slate. What can be simpler and easier to remember? @item -To reduce the amount of code in Emacs related to unimportant features, -we've removed the function @code{compiled-function-p}. Lisp programs -are expected to test explicitly for the relevant types of function -objects: built-in, byte-compiled, and natively-compiled. For the same -reasons we deleted the functions @code{pos-bol}, @code{pos-eol}, -@code{file-attribute-file-identifier}, and quite a few others. We -don't expect anyone to miss those fancy functions. +You can no longer disable JavaScript in xwidget Webkit sessions. Since +xwidgets are going away in one of the previous Emacs versions, we +decided to make this one step in that direction and get rid of this +complication. @item -The timeout used by @code{x-show-tip} can no longer be specified by -Lisp programs; it is hard-coded in the function. This will lead to a -simpler, easier maintained code, and no one should want to control the -timeout after which the tip pops down. +The @code{minibuffer-regexp-mode} was removed. Regular expressions are +just strings, so no fancy mode should be needed for editing them. @item -The macro @code{setopt} was deleted; use @code{customize-variable} -instead, or invoke the @code{:set} function from Lisp. +We removed the Compat package. Forward compatibility for ELPA packages +becomes less and less important as you move back through time, and soon +enough ELPA will disappear entirely. We decided it was prudent to start +preparing for that now. @item -We removed the @code{lisp-directory} variable, as the value can be -easily deduced from other similar variables, like -@code{installation-directory} and @code{source-directory}, each one -when it's relevant. +We are back to interpreting @code{\x} without any following hex digits +as character code zero (@acronym{NUL}), as it always was in Emacs. The +savings in typing due to this alone are enough to justify this +simplification. @item -To simplify code and reduce complexity, we deleted the functions -@code{get-display-property} and @code{add-display-text-property}; use -the generic @code{get-text-property} and @code{put-text-property} -instead. +To keep Emacs clean and elegant, we've removed the ability to show +tooltips for fringe bitmaps. What important information cam be shown on +the fringes, and why would it require tooltips to explain its purpose? +We decided it isn't justified to keep this in past versions of Emacs. @item -Support for pinch input events and for modern drag-and-drop -functionality on X was dropped. As you move back in time, these -facilities will become less and less important, and will soon enough -disappear, so there's no reason to keep them in Emacs. +Fancy sorting-related facilities, like the @code{value<} function and +keyword arguments for @code{sort}, were deleted as too complex. The +basic @code{sort} function should all that's needed in the years to go. @item -To keep Emacs clean and elegant, we've removed the @file{textsec.el} -library, with its facilities for checking whether some text is -``suspicious''. We consider our users smart enough to detect -maliciously modified text by just looking at it or by moving the -cursor across it, and the whole idea that someone would wish to -deliberately deceive Emacs users ridiculous and unworthy of -complicating our elegant text-processing and display capabilities. +Features related to the inheritance graph of major modes were deemed +unnecessary and thus were dropped. This includes +@code{provided-mode-derived-p}, @code{derived-mode-add-parents}, and +others. We decided that untangling the mode inheritance relationships +by hand facilitates more clear code and makes the intent evident. @item -The functions @code{keymap-set}, @code{keymap-global-set}, -@code{keymap-local-set}, @code{keymap-substitute}, -@code{keymap-lookup}, and some others were deleted. We have found the -traditional @code{define-key}, @code{global-set-key}, -@code{local-set-key}, @code{substitute-key-definition}, and -@code{key-binding} more than enough, and their minor inconsistencies -in the syntax of keys they accept a source of endless fun in Emacs -Lisp programming. Why make Emacs programming a dull place? For the -same reasons we deleted @code{key-valid-p}, since we consider the -permissive nature of @code{kbd} more in the spirit of Emacs Lisp. +We removed unnecessary functionality for handling touch screen events, +as touch screens gradually disappear from view as you move back in time. +There's no need to keep obsolete these new inventions in the past. @item -Yanking of anything but plain text from other applications becomes -more and more an unnecessary feature as you move back in time, so we -dropped support for pasting media like HTML and images via the -clipboard. If you @i{really} need to yank those into an Emacs buffer, -you can go via a disk file. +Various new functions and variables for moving and transposing sexps and +for moving by program statements were dropped as unnecessary. The +original commands that move by balanced expressions are more than +enough. @item -We removed unnecessary functions @code{string-pixel-width} and -@code{string-glyph-split}, as we consider it inappropriate for Lisp -programs to do display layout calculations, where these functions come -in handy. Display is for the display engine, written in C, and should -stay there! +We deleted some fancy @code{declare} forms for functions, such as +@code{ftype}. Emacs Lisp is not a string-typed language, which makes +these declarations anathema. The types @code{closure} and +@code{interpreted-function} are gone for the same reason: no need to +distinguish types of Lisp functions. @item -Various new Xwidget functions, such as -@code{xwidget-perform-lispy-event}, @code{xwidget-webkit-load-html}, -and @code{xwidget-webkit-back-forward-list}, were deleted as part of -our continuing effort to gradually delete the entire Xwidget -functionality in some previous release of Emacs. +The byte compiler stopped issuing warnings about practices some purists +consider questionable. This includes warnings about missing +@code{lexical-binding} cookies, empty bodies of special forms and +macros, comparison with literals, @code{condition-case} without +handlers, mutation of constants, and some others. As time moves into +the past, the typical Emacs hacker knows best what's correct code and +what isn't, and thus these warnings become useless annoyances. Good +riddance! @item -Setting the @code{:stderr} property of a process in a -@code{make-process} call once again forces the process's connection to -use pipes, not ptys, for all the standard streams --- a considerable -simplification of this complex interface. - -@item -To keep the amount of Lisp functions from growing out of control, we -deleted @code{string-equal-ignore-case}. Use @code{compare-strings} -instead. - -Several features that complicated the byte compiler have been removed: - -@itemize @minus -@item -The warnings about quoting mistakes in documentation strings. You are -expected to find such mistakes yourself, by eyeballing the resulting -@file{*Help*} buffer display. - -@item -The warnings about malformed @code{defcustom} types, like -double-quoting symbols in @code{choice} lists. -@end itemize - -@item -The macro @code{with-buffer-unmodified-if-unchanged} was deleted. -Lisp programs that need to leave the buffer unmodified in these cases -can always compare the text before and after the modifications. - -@item -The functions @code{string-edit} and @code{read-string-from-buffer} -were removed, as we consider the fun of programming them anew every -time an important part of the education of each Emacs Lisp developer. - -@item -We deleted the function @code{readablep} and the related variable -@code{print-unreadable-function}, since no one is supposed to want to -print unreadable Lisp objects. - -@item -The facility for storing multisession variables was deleted as an -unnecessary complication. With it are gone @code{multisession-value}, -@code{define-multisession-variable}, and -@code{list-multisession-values}. - -@item -The support for the @code{cursor-face} text property was dropped. We -consider the rest of the faces adequate for supporting this -functionality. - -@item -The function @code{tooltip-show} dropped support for optional face -arguments @code{text-face} and @code{default-face} that allow fancy -control of the face of the tip text and top frame colors. We decided -that tooltips should all look the same, to prevent user confusion. +The @code{obarray} type is gone. Obarrays are back to their original +representation as vectors. Each removed Lisp data type makes Emacs +simpler and easier to use, so this is a welcome deletion. @item As part of the ongoing quest for simplicity, many other functions and diff --git a/doc/lispref/elisp.texi b/doc/lispref/elisp.texi index 1059d0dcf61..f464bcfe94f 100644 --- a/doc/lispref/elisp.texi +++ b/doc/lispref/elisp.texi @@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ To view this manual in other formats, click Appendices -* Antinews:: Info for users downgrading to Emacs 28. +* Antinews:: Info for users downgrading to Emacs 29. * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation. * GPL:: Conditions for copying and changing GNU Emacs. * Tips:: Advice and coding conventions for Emacs Lisp.