Re: [Emacs-diffs] master 9ce1d38: Use curved quotes in core elisp diagnostics

[Paul Eggert]

Alan Mackenzie wrote:

> The main change here is that from now on, particularly if so-called
> Electric Quote mode [*] is used, we're going to end up with a chaotic
> mix of ascii quotes and curly quotes in our source code.

Although I also would prefer a simpler approach (one that consistently uses 
curved quotes), you've objected to that, necessitating a "chaotic" compromise.

> The fact that
> one "needs" such flaccid workarounds like EQM and the folding of quote
> characters with quote characters in (some of) the searching code should
> be taken as a hint just to stop and think hard.

For years Emacs has had significant problems in editing and searching and 
generating non-ASCII text.  Making Emacs better in this area will inevitably 
have teething problems, and we'll inevitably come up with worse solutions before 
coming up with better ones.  But we shouldn't just do nothing: these are real 
problems that need to be addressed.

Insisting that Emacs developers live and work in an ASCII ghetto has contributed 
to these problems, as it has led us to discount the importance of non-ASCII 
editing in the real world.  (I've been guilty of this as the next guy, by the 
way -- I'm not trying to cast aspersions on anybody in particular.)  It'll be 
helpful to break out of these old mindsets, and if regularly using a few 
non-ASCII characters in Emacs source will help us do that, then that'll be a 
good thing.