GNU bug report logs - #51929
27.2; "Save this mail sending choice?" has no effect

Previous Next

To add a comment to this bug, you must first unarchive it, by sending
a message to control AT debbugs.gnu.org, with unarchive 51929 in the body.
You can then email your comments to 51929 AT debbugs.gnu.org in the normal way.

Toggle the display of automated, internal messages from the tracker.

Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
To: "bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org" <bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org>
Subject: 27.2; "Save this mail sending choice?" has no effect
Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2021 21:25:12 +0000

This seems to be a regression introduced in Emacs 27.

emacs -Q

At least with emacs -Q, answering `y' to this prompt has no effect.  The
choice you make is not saved persistently.

If it can't be saved persistently because emacs -Q is being used, then
either (1) the question shouldn't be posed or (2) after answering `y',
Emacs should tell you that it can't save the setting after all.
Obviously #1 is far preferable.

In any case, what we have now is quite misleading: we ask you, "Hey, do
you want to save that choice?" and then we ignore your answer.  We don't
even confirm the choice (whether y or n), letting you know that, OK,
your choice `y' (or `n') is (or isn't) being saved.

Yes, it appears that if you submit a second bug report in the same
emacs -Q session, and if you answered `y' for the first report, then you
won't be asked how to send the second one.  Wunderbar.  But in that case
"saved" is still misleading, but just in a different way: the choice is
remembered for the duration of the session.

And if we're going to bother to "save" your choice for that, why don't
we also save (for the same session) the more obvious choice, which is
your email address?  We don't even ask about saving that, and we don't
save it.  If you submit a second bug report in the same emacs -Q session
you once again get the ridiculous "... tickle..." pseudo address.  You
once again have to edit that, the same way you did for each earlier
report in the session.  A needless, user-unfriendly chore.

The Q&A for submitting a bug report has changed over & over, over the
years.  And it seems like each time someone "improves" something about
this dialog, yet more bugs are introduced in it.  The emacs -Q dialog,
in particular, should be working by now.  It's been how many decades?
(I'm hoping that an attempt to fix this latest minor bug won't result
in more damage.)

In GNU Emacs 27.2 (build 1, x86_64-w64-mingw32)
 of 2021-03-26 built on CIRROCUMULUS
Repository revision: deef5efafb70f4b171265b896505b92b6eef24e6
Repository branch: HEAD
Windowing system distributor 'Microsoft Corp.', version 10.0.19042
System Description: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro (v10.0.2009.19042.1288)

Message #8 received at 51929 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
To: Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
Cc: 51929 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#51929: 27.2; "Save this mail sending choice?" has no effect
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2021 10:48:04 +0100

Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com> writes:

> emacs -Q
>
> At least with emacs -Q, answering `y' to this prompt has no effect.  The
> choice you make is not saved persistently.

No, with "-Q" the choice is only used in the current session (which the
messaging tells you).  It's useful to be able to send a mail with one
method without Emacs storing that value even in the current session, so
that the user can try out several methods.

So this works as designed, and I'm closing this bug report.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no

Previous Next

GNU bug tracking system
Copyright (C) 1999 Darren O. Benham, 1997,2003 nCipher Corporation Ltd, 1994-97 Ian Jackson.