[PATCH] Re: FEATURE REQ: Add BZREDITOR

[Bardur Arantsson]

Aaron Bentley wrote:
> On Sat, Sep 17, 2005 at 01:14:13AM +0300, Jari Aalto wrote:
>  
> 
>>For a user that does not need to differentiate the needs according to
>>tasks, this may look like it, but I don't see the "bloat" referred to.
> 
> 
> What gets bloated is the answer to the question "Why is it running
> editor $FOO when I commit?"
> 
> But maybe it's worthwile bloat. I just don't understand your explanation
> of why a config file is inadequate.  Don't you have a separate home
> directory for each set of available editors?
> 

Now, I can't reply for the parent poster, but I certainly don't. I 
synchronize my home directory among multiple machines with different 
sets of installed programs. Only being able to set the editor in a 
config file means that:

1) I have to register the file with the synchronization tool to avoid it 
being replicated to each machine. There are already too many files in 
this category.

2) The file is not redundantly replicated to each machine, so I can't 
easily reconstruct an installation if the home directory should 
disappear (I have a laptop with a, shall we say, less than reliable hard 
drive). When you only have one of these files it is no biggie as it's 
obviously easily reconstructed, but this also applies in general to any 
configuration which is machine-specific (as opposed to just 
user-specific), and when you have hundres it becomes incredibly annoying 
and time cosuming.

So why are environment variables better? Well, in my setup, instead of 
having the files scattered around, I have

     .zshrc
     .zshrc-$MACHINE1
     .zshrc-$MACHINE2

synchronized to all machines. Obviously .zshrc contains the "generic" 
setup and each of the .zshrc-$MACHINE files contains setup specific to 
each machine. In .zshrc the .zshrc-$(hostname) script is sourced. This 
lets me have easy overrides, yet still have my whole setup replicated to 
all machines.

That is why *I'd* like BZREDITOR to be added.

Cheers,

-- 
Bardur Arantsson
<bardur at imada.sdu.dk>
<bardur at scientician.net>

- Forget your stupid theme park! I'm gonna make my own! With
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