Re: Why change the defaults ?

Hi,

On Sun, 01 Dec 2024, Tony Mechelynck wrote:

> At the moment, there are several sets of "default" option settings in Vim :
>   - "compatible" defaults (or "vi defaults") used when the -C switch
> is used on the command-line or when you have no vimrc but an exrc
>   -  - These are there to mimic the behaviour of legacy Vi (with the
> exception of what Bram regarded as "bugs" in the POSIX description of
> Vim). Therefore IMHO they MUST NOT be changed ;
>   - "POSIX" defaults, used in addition to the "vi defaults" when
> $VIM_POSIX is set. These try to make Vim even more like legacy Vi than
> just setting 'compatible', even to the point of imitating its
> POSIX-entrenched "bugs". For the same reason as above, IMHO they MUST
> NOT be changed ;
>   - "nocompatible" defaults. They are used, for example, if you have
> an empty vimrc, or if you put -N -u NONE on the command-line ;
>   - "defaults.vim" settings. These are set by $VIMRUNTIME/defaults.vim
> when no vimrc is found.
>   -  - They are also set if you source either defaults.vim or
> vimrc_example.vim somewhere near the beginning of your vimrc, or if
> you have -u DEFAULTS on the command-line even if you have a vimrc
> (which in that case won't be sourced).
> 
> I see several threads proposing to make this or that "defaults.vim"
> setting the Vim default for everybody. IMHO this is unwise, because it
> is not backward-compatible. If you want those settings even though you
> have a vimrc, source the defaults.vim or the vimrc_example.vim from
> it. If there are _other_ settings set by the defaults.vim which you
> _don't_ want, well, reverse them when Vim comes back to your vimrc
> after sourcing them. This is the time-honored backward-compatible way
> to do it and if you do it this way instead of changing everyone's
> defaults, no one will be surprised.
> 
> For instance the defaults.vim contains a line which says
>     filetype plugin indent on
> My preferences go to filetype detection on, filetype plugins on,
> filetype indent off. No problem : after sourcing
> $VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example.vim (which calls the defaults.vim nowadays)
> my vimrc has a line
>     filetype indent off
> and voilà.

As far as what I am concerned, I don't plan to make changes to the 
defaults, except for gradually moving (non-controversial) defaults from 
defaults.vim to the C code, because this seemed to be what Bram wanted 
to achieve. But it still causes a bit of discussion.

Independently of this, there has been a bit of discussion on whether or 
not we should handle defaults.vim a bit more consistently, such that 
there is no inconsistency between:
- users not having a configuration file at all
- users creating a simple (empty) vimrc file (where suddenly Vim would 
  behave slightly differently)

This has been a major source of discussion/confusion/hate for people in 
the past. I don't know how to improve this situation yet.

Thanks,
Christian
-- 
Here I am in the POSTERIOR OLFACTORY LOBULE but I don't see CARL SAGAN
anywhere!!

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