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

[Richard Stallman]

    Maybe another generic solution would be a prefix arg which causes
    a subsequent `get-buffer-create' (or somesuch) to not find the buffer it's
    looking for.  I.e. after M-x magic-prefix RET calling (get-buffer-create
    "*shell*") would look for *shell* and if it exists, it would rename it
    uniquely, and then create a new *shell*.

Command interfaces of this sort tend to be fragile.  You do some work
to enter the prefix that will modify the real command.  Then if you
find you need to do something else before typing the real command,
or you make a mistake typing the real command, the work of the prefix
has to be redone.

For instance, I find the C-x RET c is troublesome in this way.
It would be good to think of a less fragile interface for this.