Bug#197835: [PROPOSAL]: integrated environments are allowed

[Colin Watson <cjwatson@debian.org>]

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.

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.

Cheers,

-- 
Colin Watson                                  [cjwatson@flatline.org.uk]