Re: Documentation for "Clone Buffers" (corrected version)

[Juri Linkov]

Stefan Monnier <address@hidden> writes:
>> I added FORK argument not to all Info navigation functions.
>> Now I will add it to all of them.
>
> I think this is the wrong approach.  We want a generic way to do "a fork"
> without having to change each and every command where it might make sense.
> And I now regret having abuse the C-u prefix for that.  It should be some
> other fork-specific prefix instead so the command can still use C-u for
> its own purpose.

The Emacs Info browser can be compared to Web browsers where links
can be opened in a new window/tab either by the New Window command
(usually bound to C-n) with an initial content of the current page -
this is very similar to Emacs's clone-buffer (M-n), or by pressing
Ctrl key while clicking on a link - this is similar to Emacs's C-u
prefix.  But AFAIK none of Web browsers provide this functionality
(pressing Ctrl key) for other commands (like Back, Forward, Home).
Perhaps, clone-buffer (M-n) should be a primary method for forking
a new Info buffer.  It's as simple as using C-u prefix.

>> IIRC, the "controversial" feature you refer to was guessing the target
>> place within an Info node from the reference name.  While I agree that
>> this is an unreliable feature, it's still better than simply placing
>> the point at the beginning of a big Info node.  Another alternative is
>> to use anchors, but it places responsibility on authors of Info
>> manuals to define correct reference points.  If using anchors is
>> accepted solution then at least all Emacs manuals should be revised
>> to find all such references that refer to big Info nodes and to make
>> anchors for them.
>
> I think your solution is at least as good as the current situation,
> and sometimes much better.

There are some references in Emacs manuals that refer to the middle
of a big Info node but use neither anchors nor reference names.  We
should decide which is the preferred method of reference and change
them for all such cases in Emacs manuals.

-- 
Juri Linkov
http://www.jurta.org/emacs/