[PATCH] Raw strings, from Python via SXEmacs

[Steve Youngs]

* Aidan Kehoe <kehoea at parhasard.net> writes:

  >  Ar an seachtú lá déag de mí Iúil, scríobh Stephen J. Turnbull: 
  >> [...] This introduces a serious backward incompatibility with GNU Emacs
  >> and XEmacs 21.4, without adding functionality beyond an attractive
  >> convenience.

  > A forward compatibility problem rather than one of backward compatibility,
  > surely? #r"your text here" gives a syntax error in 21.4 and GNU Emacs, so
  > there’s no code in the wild for those platforms that uses that syntax, old
  > code works fine. 

  > Compatibility problems will arise when people choose to use raw string
  > syntax in code they release, which I agree should not be done for a few
  > releases.

In SXEmacs...

  (featurep 'raw-strings)
   => t

It's not much, but perhaps a little better than relying on an error.

  > And attractive convenience _is_ added functionality!

Indeed.:-)

  >> There is a policy question here, and it should be discussed
  >> (including whether we should be more interested in compatibility
  >> with SXEmacs than GNU Emacs!) before committing IMO.

Obviously I have a vested interest in XEmacs and SXEmacs staying
compatible with each other.  But, at this point in time, I see the
responsibility of maintaining compatibility resting on SXEmacs'
shoulders, not XEmacs'.

Please don't veto solely on the grounds of (in)compatibility.  If
something is worth having in XEmacs, there's a very good chance it is
worth having in SXEmacs too.  And vice verse.

As for raw stings, we like em[1], we want you to have em, and we want
GNU/Emacs to have em too.[2]



Footnotes: 
[1]  So much so that we use them in all of our core lisp.

[2]  Martin has mentioned that he is willing to assign his copyright
     and to put together a patch for GNU/Emacs.

-- 
|---<Steve Youngs>---------------<GnuPG KeyID: A94B3003>---|
|                 I am Dyslexic of Borg.                   | 
|    Fusistance is retile. Your arse will be laminated.    |
|------------------------------------<steve at sxemacs.org>---|
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