bug#37514: PATCH: Add setting to allow switching to an already-visible buffer by default

[Jefferson Carpenter]

+bug-gnu-emacs

---- On Thu, 26 Sep 2019 19:13:08 +0000 Jefferson Carpenter 
<jefferson@aoeu2code.com> wrote ----

 > ---- On Thu, 26 Sep 2019 07:12:23 +0000 Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> wrote 
 > ---- 
 >  
 >  > 
 >  > Why is it important what "C-x b" offers as the default?  You can still 
 >  > type the name of the buffer you want and switch to it. 
 >  
 > Because it requires fewer key strokes. 
 >  
 >  > 
 >  > FWIW, I use the workflow you mention from time to time, and I never 
 >  > felt the need for such an option, because its effect will be global on 
 >  > the entire session, and I don't want it everywhere.  I'd need to reset 
 >  > such an option when I go back to the other workflows, which would be a 
 >  > nuisance. 
 >  
 >  > 
 >  > And if the above is somehow still not satisfactory, you can always 
 >  > write a trivial wrapper around switch-to-buffer, which behaves the way 
 >  > you like.  Why do we need to canonicalize this in Emacs? 
 >  
 > Because IMHO, emacs (and any software) should do as little as possible by 
 > default, or at least easily allow itself to be configured to do as little as 
 > possible.  I think it makes the most sense that switch-to-buffer takes you 
 > back to the last buffer you were visiting by default, without doing the 
 > extra work of preferring buffers that are not currently visible. 
 >  
 >  
 > ---- On Thu, 26 Sep 2019 07:20:53 +0000 martin rudalics <rudalics@gmx.at> 
 > wrote ---- 
 >  
 >  > 
 >  > Wouldn't 'quit-window' accomplish that without any prompting?  Or 
 >  > 'switch-to-prev-buffer'? 
 >  > 
 >  > Thanks, martin 
 >  > 
 >  
 > No, quit-window buries the buffer that you leave, even though it switches 
 > directly to the previous buffer on the top of the buffer list, and so it 
 > cannot be used to alternate back and fourth.  Switch-to-prev-buffer seems to 
 > do the same thing - executing it twice does not return you to the buffer you 
 > started at.  Besides, using these functions would require adding an extra 
 > key in addition to 'C-x b', and keys are at a premium. 
 >