[comp.emacs] Pointing with the mouse

schoett@lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de (Oliver Schoett) (02/09/90)

In article <9001230209.AA14732@spiff.ai.mit.edu> jla@AI.MIT.EDU
(Joseph Arceneaux) writes:

> The pointer shape is different when over text than when over
> non-text areas, and a floating rectangle the size of the character
> currently under the pointer is drawn.  This happens only in the
> selected window.

To me, the emacs 'point' is *between* two characters, not *on* a
character.  I find it confusing that I have to point the mouse *on* a
character to select the point before it (in GNU Emacs 18.55).

I think that under X-Windows, emacs should display the point as a
vertical bar between two characters.  It might then also use 81 cursor
positions in an 80-column window, thus allowing users to deal with
80-column text conveniently.  Defining points with the mouse should be
done by pointing at gaps, not characters.

Oliver Schoett	   Inst. f\"ur Informatik,  Technische Univ. M\"unchen
		   Postfach 20 24 20,  8000 M\"unchen 2,  West Germany
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