Re: lax matching is not a great default behavior

[John Wiegley]

>>>>> Eli Zaretskii <address@hidden> writes:

> I will repeat up front what I've already said numerous time in other similar
> discussions: arguing about defaults in Emacs is largely a waste of time. It
> usually fails to produce any real effect except tremendous loss of time and
> energy.

I agree with Eli that our development efforts are not well spent discussing
defaults already in the wild. For two major reasons:

 1. We don't actually know what newcomers find useful. There are different
    sorts of newcomers, with different expectations, so every decision is good
    for some and worse for others.

 2. "That ship has sailed." Everyone now used to the existing default would
    have to learn (a) why their Emacs just broke, and (b) how to fix it. And
    in many cases, the cause is far from the cure.

If a change in defaults can be backed by serious evidence that we made a huge
error in judgment in the past, I'd consider it. But if it's more of a shot in
the dark based on personal preferences, we should leave it alone.

John

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