Re: split-window as a command

[Rand User]

From: Stephen Berman <address@hidden>


> Maybe in the early days there was no split-window-vertically and
> split-window was the only window-splitting command (I don't know).  But
> at least since 18.59 (probably earlier) split-window has been redundant
> as a command (and not documented in the Emacs manual), and has not had a
> default key binding.  

To my knowledge, that's all correct.  

I kinda figured that `split-window' was made a command since its easier
to do `M-x split-window' than `M-x split-window-vertically'.

> So any breakage would be in user settings or third-party packages.   

That's the worst kind of breakage.  Emacs shouldn't break user code

for minor namespace cleanup.  

> As for usage, since split-window never acted on a prefix

> argument, replacing it with split-window-below interactively instead can
> only be a win.

I agree that `split-window-below' works better interactively than `split-window'
does.  Breaking backward compatibility is not a win however.

>> I think that:
>>
>> * Fixing the doc-string would be better than removing the
>> interactive form.
>
> That would perpetuate its mistaken current status as a command.

I don't think `split-window' was mistakenly made a command.

>> * Changing the interactive form to use the prefix argument would
>> be better than fixing the doc-string.
>
> That would mean adding code from split-window-below to process the
> prefix argument, though split-window-below itself calls split-window.
> That doesn't seem very clean.

The window splitting code in general doesn't seem very clean... :)

Maybe you could move some of the functionality in split-window-below
to split-window?

Cheers,

Rand