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author | Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org> |
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date | Sat, 01 Feb 1997 02:19:14 +0000 |
parents | 2d4db32cccd5 |
children | 66d807bdc5b4 |
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@c -*-texinfo-*- @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual. @c Copyright (C) 1993 Free Software Foundation, Inc. @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions. @node Antinews, Index, Standard Hooks, Top @appendix Emacs 18 Antinews For those users who live backwards in time, here is information about downgrading to Emacs version 18. We hope you will enjoy the greater simplicity that results from the absence of many Emacs 19 features. @section Old Features in the Lisp Language The following functions are missing or different in Emacs version 18. @itemize @bullet @item The functions @code{delete}, @code{member}, @code{indirect-function}, @code{map-y-or-n-p}, and @code{invocation-name} have been removed. @item The function @code{read} now skips a terminator character that terminates a symbol when reading from a buffer. Thus, if you use @code{read} on a buffer containing @samp{foo(bar)} following point, it returns @code{foo} and leaves point after the open-parenthesis. This means there's no way you can properly read the list @samp{(bar)}, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. Because of this simplification, it's no longer necessary for an input stream function to accept an optional argument. In Emacs 18, an input stream is always called with no arguments, and should always return the next character of input. @item The function @code{documentation} takes just one argument; @code{documentation-property} takes just two. @item @code{random} no longer has the optional argument @var{n}. @item You can no longer arrange to run a hook if a particular Lisp library is loaded. The variable @code{after-load-alist} and the function @code{eval-after-load} have been removed. @item The function @code{autoload} no longer supports autoloading a keymap. @item ``Magic'' comments of the form @samp{;;;###autoload} are now just comments. They don't do anything in particular except look pretty. If you want a function to be autoloaded by default, edit @file{loaddefs.h} by hand. What do you think editors are for? @item We took out the @samp{%S} from the @code{format} function, and the optional argument @var{noescap} from @code{prin1-to-string}. We removed the @code{print-level} variable. @end itemize @section Compilation Features @itemize @bullet @item Inline functions are nonexistent in Emacs 18. We find they make the calling function unnecessarily large. (Small size is one of the features of Emacs 18.) @item We eliminated the two special forms, @code{eval-when-compile} and @code{eval-and-compile}, as well as the @code{compile-defun} command. @item When you load a Lisp file or library, you will no longer receive a warning if the directory contains both a @samp{.elc} file and a new @samp{.el} file that is newer. So be on your toes. @item We removed the special data type for byte-code functions. Compiled functions now work by means of an interpreted function which calls the function @code{bytecode}. That function runs the byte code interpreter. @end itemize @section Floating Point Numbers Emacs 18 doesn't have or need floating point arithmetic built in. It has a handy Lisp program that allows you to emulate floating point. You'll have to write programs specially to use it, though. As a result, certain macros, functions, and predicates no longer handle specifications for floating point numbers. @itemize @bullet @item The function @code{string-to-number}, the predicate @code{floatp}, and the variable @code{float-output-format} have all been eliminated. @item The functions @code{float}, @code{truncate}, @code{floor}, @code{ceil}, @code{round}, and @code{logb} do not exist; neither do the functions @code{abs}, @code{cos}, @code{sin}, @code{tan}, @code{acos}, @code{asin}, @code{atan}, @code{exp}, @code{expt}, @code{log10}, @code{log}, or @code{sqrt}. @item The @code{format} function no longer handles the specifications @samp{%e}, @samp{%f} and @samp{%g} for printing floating point numbers; likewise for @code{message}. @end itemize @section Changes in Basic Editing Functions @itemize @bullet @item @code{kill-new} and @code{kill-append}, the primitives for putting text in the kill ring, have been eliminated. @c @code{kill-append} seems to exist as a non-documented (no doc string) @c primitive in emacs 18. but news.texi said it was new for 19. @item The variables @code{interprogram-paste-function} and @code{interprogram-cut-function} have been removed in Emacs 18. In addition, there's no need for @code{mark-active} and @code{deactivate-mark} because there is no Transient Mark mode. We also removed the hooks @code{activate-mark-hook} and @code{deactivate-mark-hook}. @item The @code{kill-region} function can no longer be used in read-only buffers. The @code{compare-buffer-substrings} and @code{current-kill} functions have been removed. @item The variable @code{overwrite-mode-binary} has been removed. @item The function @code{move-to-column} allows just one argument, @var{column}. @item The search functions now just return @code{t} when successful. This affects the functions @code{search-forward}, @code{search-backward}, @code{word-search-forward}, @code{word-search-backward}, @code{re-search-forward}, and @code{re-search-backward}. @item When you do regular expression searching or matching, there is a fixed limit of ten @samp{\(@dots{}\)} pairs that you can get information about with @code{match-beginning} and @code{match-end}. Moreover, @code{save-match-data} does not exist; you must use an explicit @code{unwind-protect} to save the match data. @item @code{translate-region} is gone. @item The variables @code{before-change-function}, @code{after-change-function}, and @code{first-change-hook} have been eliminated. @item The second argument to @code{insert-abbrev-table-description} is no longer optional. @end itemize @section Text Properties We eliminated text properties. @section Features for Files Many file-related functions have been eliminated or simplified. Here is a basic listing of these functions. @itemize @bullet @item The functions @code{file-accessible-directory-p}, @code{file-truename}, @code{make-directory}, @code{delete-directory}, @code{set-visited-file-modtime}, @code{directory-abbrev-alist}, @code{abbreviate-file-name}, @code{write-region}, @code{write-contents-hooks}, @code{after-save-hook}, @code{set-default-file-modes}, @code{default-file-modes}, and @code{unix-sync} have been eliminated. @item We got rid of the ``initial file name'' argument to @code{read-file-name}. @item Additionally, we removed the 12th element from the list returned by @code{file-attributes}. @item @code{directory-files} always sorts the list of files. It's not user friendly to process the files in any haphazard order. @item We eliminated the variables @code{write-contents-hooks} and @code{local-write-file-hooks}. @end itemize @section Making Certain File Names ``Magic'' There are no more magic filenames. Sorry, but all the mana has been used up. @section Frames There is only one frame in Emacs 18, so all of the frame functions have been eliminated. @section X Window System Features We have simplified the way Emacs and X interact by removing a great deal of creeping featurism. @itemize @bullet @item The functions @code{mouse-position} and @code{set-mouse-position}, and the special form @code{track-mouse}, have been eliminated. @item Likewise, the functions @code{x-set-selection}, @code{x-set-cut-buffer}, @code{x-close-current-connection}, and @code{x-open-connection} have all been removed from Emacs Lisp 18. @item We removed a series of functions that gave information about the X server and the screen you were using; after all, the whole point of X is that all servers are equivalent. The names of the removed functions are: @code{x-display-screens}, @code{x-server-version}, @code{x-server-vendor}, @code{x-display-pixel-height}, @code{x-display-mm-height}, @code{x-display-pixel-width}, @code{x-display-mm-width}, @code{x-display-backing-store}, @code{x-display-save-under}, @code{x-display-planes}, @code{x-display-visual-class}, @code{x-display-color-p}, and @code{x-display-color-cells}. @item Additionally, we removed the variable @code{x-no-window-manager} and the functions @code{x-synchronize} and @code{x-get-resource}. @item We didn't abolish @code{x-display-color-p}, but we renamed it to @code{x-color-display-p}. We did abolish @code{x-color-defined-p}. @item @code{x-popup-menu} no longer accepts a keymap for its first argument. @item We removed both the function @code{x-rebind-key} and the related function @code{x-rebind-keys}. @item We abolished @code{x-parse-geometry}. @end itemize @section Window Actions that Were No Longer Useful Various behaviors of windows in Emacs 19 were obsolete by the time Emacs 18 was due to come out. We have removed them. These changes are listed below. @itemize @bullet @item We removed the functions @code{window-at}, @code{window-minibuffer-p}, @code{set-window-dedicated-p}, @code{coordinates-in-window-p}, @code{walk-windows}, @code{window-dedicated-p}, and @code{window-end}. @item We removed the variables @code{pop-up-frames}, @code{pop-up-frame-function}, @code{display-buffer-function}, and @code{other-window-scroll-buffer}. @item The function @code{minibuffer-window} no longer accepts a frame as argument, since frames as objects do not exist in Emacs version 18. It returns the window used for minibuffers. @item The functions @code{next-window} and @code{previous-window} no longer accept the @var{all-frames} argument since there is just one frame. @item The functions @code{get-lru-window}, @code{get-largest-window}, @code{get-buffer-window}, and @code{get-buffer-window} also no longer take the optional argument @var{all-frames} because there is just one frame to search. @end itemize @section Display Features @itemize @bullet @item There are no overlays, and no faces. @item We eliminated the mode line spec @samp{%l} that in later versions used to display the current line number. We removed the variables @code{line-number-mode} and @code{line-number-display-limit}. @item @code{baud-rate} is now a function rather than a variable. @item You can no longer call @code{message} with @code{nil} as the only argument; therefore, you can not reliably make the contents of the minibuffer visible. @item The variable @code{temp-buffer-show-function} has been renamed @code{temp-buffer-show-hook}. @item We removed the function @code{force-mode-line-update}. Use the following idiom instead: @example (set-buffer-modified-p (buffer-modified-p)) @end example @item Display tables no longer exist. We know what the @sc{ASCII} characters should look like, and we made them look that way. @end itemize @section Working with Input Events The big news about input events is that we got rid of function key and mouse events. Now the only input events are characters. What's more, these characters now have to be in the range of 0 to 127, optionally with a meta bit. This makes for big simplifications. @itemize @bullet @item Functions like @code{define-key}, @code{global-set-key}, @code{read-key-sequence}, and @code{local-set-key} used to accept strings or vectors in Emacs 19; now they only accept strings. @item The documentation functions (@code{single-key-description}, @code{key-description}, etc.) also no longer accept vectors, but they do accept strings. @item We removed the @code{read-event}, @code{event-start}, @code{posn-window}, @code{posn-point}, @code{posn-col-row}, @code{posn-timestamp}, @code{scroll-bar-scale}, and @code{event-end} functions, since they were useful only for non-character events. @item We removed the @code{unread-command-events} and @code{last-event-frame} variables. @item The functions @code{this-command-keys} and @code{recent-keys} now always return a string. Likewise, a keyboard macro's definition can only be a string, not a vector. @item We eliminated @samp{e} as an interactive specification since it was useful only with non-character events. @item In Emacs 18, we represent Meta characters as character objects with the same encoding used in strings: 128 plus the corresponding non-Meta @sc{ASCII} character. @end itemize @section Menus @itemize @bullet @item You can no longer define menus as keymaps; good system design requires crafting a special-purpose interface for each facility, so it can precisely fit the requirements of that facility. We decided that unifying keymaps and menus was simply too much of a strain. @item In Emacs 18, you can activate menus only with the mouse. Using them with a keyboard was too confusing for too many users. @item Emacs 18 has no menu bars. All functions and variables related to the menu bar have been eliminated. @end itemize @section Changes in Minibuffer Features @itemize @bullet @item The minibuffer history feature has been eliminated. Thus, we removed the optional argument @var{hist} from the minibuffer input functions @code{read-from-minibuffer} and @code{completing-read}. @item The @var{initial} argument to @code{read-from-minibuffer} and other minibuffer input functions can no longer be a cons cell @code{(@var{string} . @var{position})}. @item In the function @code{read-no-blanks-input}, the @var{initial} argument is no longer optional. @end itemize @section New Features for Defining Commands @itemize @bullet @item The special meaning of @samp{@@} in an interactive specification has been eliminated. @item Emacs 18 does not support use of format-style @samp{%}-sequences in the prompt strings in interactive specifications. @item The property @code{enable-recursive-minibuffers} no longer has any special meaning. @end itemize @section Removed Features for Reading Input @itemize @bullet @item We removed the third argument (@var{meta}) from the function @code{set-input-mode}. Consequently, we added the variable @code{meta-flag}; set it to @code{t} to enable use of a Meta key, and to @code{nil} to disable it. (Those are the only two alternatives.) @item We also removed the variable @code{extra-keyboard-modifiers}. @item We removed the function @code{keyboard-translate} and the variables @code{num-input-keys} and @code{function-key-map}. @end itemize @section Removed Syntax Table Features @itemize @bullet @item We eliminated the functions @code{skip-syntax-forward}, @code{skip-syntax-backward}, @code{forward-comment}. @item We removed the syntax flag for ``prefix syntax'' and the flag for the alternate comment style. Emacs 18 supports only one style of comment in any given syntax table. @item We abolished the variable @code{words-include-escapes}. @end itemize @section The Case Table @itemize @bullet @item Case tables do not exist in Emacs 18. Due to this change, we have removed the associated functions @code{set-standard-case-table}, @code{standard-case-table}, @code{current-case-table}, @code{set-case-table}, and @code{set-case-syntax-pair}. @end itemize @section Features for Dealing with Buffers @itemize @bullet @item We eliminated several functions for dealing with buffers: @code{buffer-modified-tick} and @code{generate-new-buffer-name}. @item We renamed @code{buffer-disable-undo} to @code{buffer-flush-undo}---a more picturesque name, you will agree. @item The function @code{other-buffer} takes just one argument in Emacs 18. @item The function @code{rename-buffer} now requires you to specify precisely the new name you want. @item We removed the local variable @code{list-buffers-directory}. @item We got rid of the hook @code{kill-buffer-hook}. @end itemize @section Local Variables Features @itemize @bullet @item The function @code{kill-all-local-variables} always eliminates all buffer-local variables of the current buffer. No more exceptions. @item Making a variable buffer-local when it is void now sets it to @code{nil}. @item We eliminated the functions @code{default-boundp}, because it is no longer possible for the default binding of a variable to be void. @item The special forms @code{defconst} and @code{defvar} now set the variable's local value rather than its default value when the variable is local in the current buffer. @end itemize @section Features for Subprocesses @itemize @bullet @item @code{call-process} and @code{call-process-region} no longer indicate the termination status of the subprocess. We call on users to have faith that the subprocess executed properly. @item The standard asynchronous subprocess features do not work on VMS; instead, special VMS asynchronous subprocess functions have been added. Since they are only for VMS, we can't be bothered documenting them; sorry. Use the source, Luke! @item The function @code{signal-process} has been removed. @item We eliminated the transaction queue feature, and the associated functions @code{tq-create}, @code{tq-enqueue}, and @code{tq-close}. @end itemize @section Dealing with Times And Time Delays @itemize @bullet @item We removed the functions @code{current-time}, @code{current-time-zone}, @code{run-at-time}, and @code{cancel-timer}. @item The function @code{current-time-string} no longer accepts any optional arguments. @item The functions @code{sit-for} and @code{sleep-for} no longer allow an optional argument to let you specify the time period in milliseconds; just in seconds. Additionally, we took out the optional third argument @var{nodisp} from @code{sit-for}. @item We removed the optional second and third arguments from the @code{accept-process-output} function. It accepts just one argument, the process. @end itemize @need 3000 @section Features not Available for Lisp Debuggers @itemize @bullet @item In Emacs 18, you can no longer specify to invoke the Lisp debugger only upon encountering certain types of errors. Any non-@code{nil} value for the variable @code{debug-on-error} says to invoke the debugger for any error whatever. @item We removed the variable @code{command-debug-status} and the function @code{backtrace-frame}. @end itemize @section Memory Allocation Changes @itemize @bullet @item We removed the function @code{memory-limit}. @item The list returned by @code{garbage-collect} no longer contains an element to describe floating point numbers, since there aren't any floating point numbers in Emacs 18. @end itemize @section Hook Changes @itemize @bullet @item We removed the hooks @code{pre-abbrev-expand-hook}, @code{pre-command-hook}, @code{post-command-hook}, and @code{auto-save-hook}. @item We removed the variable @code{revert-buffer-insert-file-contents-function}. @item We also removed the new function @code{add-hook}; you will have to set your hooks by hand. If you want to get really into the swing of things, set your hook variables the archaic way: store just one function rather than a list of functions. But that is optional. @item The variable @code{lisp-indent-hook} has been renamed to @code{lisp-indent-function}. @item The variable @code{auto-fill-function} has been renamed to @code{auto-fill-hook}. @item The @code{blink-paren-function} has been renamed to @code{blink-paren-hook}. @item The variable @code{temp-buffer-show-function} has been renamed to @code{temp-buffer-show-hook}. @end itemize