Emacs provides a user level function to create a new buffer. C-x b,
and enter a name of a non-existing buffer. Not once is there a prompt
for a file-name. I find this useful as I create tens of buffers a day,
holding chunks of files I'm twiddling with, notes from phone calls,
lists of file names, etc. I don't want to save them to disk, but I
sure as heck need to give that buffer a name so I can find it back
amongst all the other things I have. And if I close it without saving,
Emacs prompts me gently -- it doesn't demand a filename, it asks if I
want to save it. And only then, if I say yes, does it prompt for a
filename. How polite.
I grew up with a "scratch-pad" next to the telephone (yeah, kids, it
had a dial), and sometimes we'd get home-made scratch-pads for
Christmas. What fun!
On Sep 19, 7:34 am, Xah Lee
xahlee.org> wrote:> On Sep 19, 1:53 am, Eli Zaretskii
gnu.org> wrote:
>>>> From: Xah Lee
xahlee.org>
>>> Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:50:50 -0700 (PDT)>
>>> * Emacs does not provide a user level function to create a new
>>> buffer. It has “Open New file...”, which actually creates a empty file
>>> and immediately prompt user for a file name. This is annoying.
>
>> This is incorrect. No file is created on disk until you actually save
>> the buffer. Until then, only a buffer is created.
>
> Ok, my original phrasing is a bit off. Please focus on the main ideas.
>
> Here's a better phrasing:
>
> • Emacs does not provide a user level function to create a new buffer.
> It has “Open file...” (a wrapper to the find-file command), which
> immediately prompt user for a full file path. This is annoying. Modern
> apps's New File command actually just create a new untitled file
> without prompting, and only when user save it it prompt a file name.
> If user closes it, it prompts for saving.
>
> In newsgroup discussion, people tend to nick pick details and often
> give no acknowledgement even if they agree in general. So, if a
> criticism or idea X is posted in the thread's original post, often
> there will be several responses that nick pick details that are non-
> critical to the main idea. So, often, the thread becomes large and
> derailed and little critical discussion.
>
>>> I propose that emacs should also add a menu command “New buffer”, with
>>> the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl+n”. Once called, it should create a
>>> scratch buffer titled “untitled”. If one already exists, append
>>> numbers such “untitled 2”.
>
>> If I ever want a Notepad, I'd just launch that. I don't need Emacs to
>> emulate it.
>
> The issue here is not about whether one Eli Zaretskii wants Microsoft
> Notepad (assuming it is Microsoft Notepad you are talking about).
> Perhaps you are using the term “Notepad” as a general concept. In that
> case, emacs's *scratch* buffer is also a notepad. So, i don't know
> what u mean except perhaps you are just fooling around.
>
> Xah
> ∑
http://xahlee.org/
>
> ☄
