[net.emacs] Completion in Gosmacs - FLAME FLAME FLAME

ellis@spar.UUCP (Michael Ellis) (04/09/85)

>>> Perhaps delete-buffer shouldn't complete on buffer
>>> names; that would avoid the dangerous behavior that brought this to my
>>> attention.  
>
>>While we're at it, perhaps unlink-file shouldn't do name completion
>>either.  I know some people that have been burned by this a few times.
>
>Here's a quick way to fix that problem...
>
   {flame-ON}

   Completion in Gosmacs is ALWAYS DANGEROUS...

   BECAUSE IT DOES NOT LET THE USER VERIFY THE CHOICE THAT EMACS MAKES !!

   WHY, WHY, WHY does not <escape> in Gosmacs show what it has completed
   and then let the user edit his/her choice if it is not satisfactory 
   IN ALL CASES where automatic completion is provided?
   
   As delivered, Gosmacs `runs out from under your fingers' once you've
   typed <escape>.  This behavior severely compromises the desirability
   and utility of automatic completion.

	    ==> This behavior is called BRAIN-DAMAGE <==

   {FLAME-off}

   Every version of Gosmacs that has ever come my way has been modified
   to behave sensibly (ie - more like TOPS-20) in this respect, and
   nobody at my site has ever complained.
   
   I'm currently fixing our the latest UniPress release to behave 
   intelligently wherever automatic completion occurs. I'll be glad
   to submit diff's to this newsgroup if there's interest.

-michael