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

[martin rudalics]

> 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.

In your initial post you did not mention that you wanted "to alternate
back and fourth".  'quit-window' gets you out of nested invocations of
'display-buffer', so it's indeed not suitable.

> Switch-to-prev-buffer seems to do the same thing - executing it
> twice does not return you to the buffer you started at.

'switch-to-prev-buffer' and 'switch-to-next-buffer' are the canonical
commands for navigating a specific window's buffer list (here these
are bound to <M-left> and <M-right> because I don't care for word-like
movement).

So if we want to convince people that C-x b is at least as convenient
for this purpose - and we have to do that when we add such an option,
mention it in NEWS, add manual entries for it and ask people to notice
all that - you should tell why the above commands are so inconvenient
for navigating the buffer list.

> Besides,
> using these functions would require adding an extra key in addition
> to 'C-x b', and keys are at a premium.

This could be an argument.  Then we probably should find a few users
here (I never use C-x b because I find that prompt far too annoying)
supporting it.

martin