Bug#197835: [PROPOSAL]: integrated environments are allowed
Perhaps we should
1. Not ship with EDITOR/PAGER set to anything by default (well written old
standalone programs should then default to vi and more, or get a bug
report).
2. Always honor EDITOR/PAGER if they are set.
3. Make sure GNOME programs can be set up to launch a different editor
than $EDITOR/$PAGER with user intervention.
This approach translate as "if I don't know whats going on, give me the
upstream author's default, otherwise, give me my favorite editor unless
I've already specified that it doesn't work well for this application".
Britton Kerin
__
GNU GPL: "The Source will be with you... always."
On Wed, 18 Jun 2003, Bill Allombert wrote:
> On Wed, Jun 18, 2003 at 01:28:06AM +0100, Colin Watson wrote:
> > On Tue, Jun 17, 2003 at 07:51:00PM -0400, Colin Walters wrote:
> > > @@ -7349,11 +7352,13 @@
> > > </p>
> > >
> > > <p>
> > > - Thus, every program that launches an editor or pager must
> > > - use the EDITOR or PAGER environment variable to determine
> > > - the editor or pager the user wishes to use. If these
> > > - variables are not set, the programs <file>/usr/bin/editor</file>
> > > - and <file>/usr/bin/pager</file> should be used, respectively.
> > > + Thus, every program without an internal preference that
> > > + launches an editor or pager must use the EDITOR or PAGER
> > > + environment variable to determine the editor or pager the
> > > + user wishes to use. If these variables are not set, the
> > > + programs <file>/usr/bin/editor</file>
> > > + and <file>/usr/bin/pager</file> should be used,
> > > + respectively.
> > > </p>
> > >
> > > <p>
> >
> > I think this is very bad. At the moment policy says that my EDITOR and
> > PAGER variables have priority over what random programs think is a good
> > idea, which I think is excellent. If programs get to pick a default that
> > overrides my EDITOR and PAGER then it all degenerates into chaos.
>
> I concurr. This will be a massive step backward providing useful
> default.
>
> > If what you really meant was that the order is as follows:
> >
> > * EDITOR/PAGER
> > * program's preferred editor or pager
> > * /usr/bin/editor or /usr/bin/pager
> >
> > ... then that would be slightly better; it dilutes the effectiveness of
> > the editor and pager alternatives, but that might not be *too* bad. It's
> > late here so I haven't fully thought it through.
>
> It will be broken: users will get random program lauched unless they
> set $EDITOR/$PAGER/$BROWSER. This is not a sane default, this is much
> better to consistantly launch the same editor, whatever it is.
> User will get used to it or will set EDITOR to their liking.
> Nothing is more confusing that getting presented with an different
> editor each time.
>
> Cheers,
> --
> Bill. <ballombe@debian.org>
>
> Imagine a large red swirl here.
>
>
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