Re: bug#8050: Gnus does not connect to my IMAP server any more

[Ted Zlatanov <tzz@lifelogs.com>]

The following message is a courtesy copy of an article
that has been posted to gnu.emacs.bug as well.

On Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:03:10 -0500 Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> wrote: 

SM> The new code shows much fewer prompts, but now I can't connect any more.
SM> The problem is that among the prompts it doesn't show me any more, the
SM> "username" prompt is now missing, so Gnus then asks me

SM>  "Password for [any user]@(imap.iro.umontreal.ca diro):(143 997 imap imaps): "

This is fixed.  I have a patch coming which will also ask for the user
name and any other parameters.

SM> And when asking me whether to save the password (which it asks even
SM> tough the authentication fails :-() the prompt is again too verbose
SM> asking me

SM>  "Add to .authinfo.gpg? (y)es/(n)o but use it/(e)dit line/(s)kip file"

SM> First, it's hard to parse, second I don't know what "no but use it"
SM> might mean, 

It means "don't write it to the file but remember the password."

SM> I don't know what "line" I might want to "edit" (nor why it's
SM> related to saving a password), 

authinfo/netrc files are line-based.  auth-source manages more than
passwords: in addition you may be adding host, port, user name, and
other tokens.

You may want to edit the line in case you want to change it before it's
written.  Lars also thought this was not good but I feel strongly this
is useful functionality and it's not too intrusive.

SM> and neither do I know what means "skip file".

It means "go to the next source in the auth-sources list, I don't want
to change this one."

SM> Please make it just "Save password to .authinfo.gpg?  [y/n/N/?]"  or
SM> something short and simple like that.

I was trying to avoid the help popup but you're right the prompt is too
verbose.

"Save password" does not describe what's going on fully.  Maybe just
"save to $file" would be better than "add to $file."

The prompting could be, compared to the old 
"(y)es/(n)o but use it/(e)dit line/(s)kip file":

y/n/N/e/s/? => (y)es, save; (n)o but use the info; (N)o and don't use
the info and don't ask again; (e)dit the line; (s)kip this file.

I see two cases for (N): one, you want to use the password just entered
and don't want to be asked to *save* again; two, you don't want to use
the password and don't want auth-source to ask you *anything* again,
including password prompts.  Is either choice what you had in mind with
(N) in your suggestion?

Do you think that skipping to the next file in auth-sources is not
useful?  It doesn't take up too much space in the prompt to add a 's'
option...  But I'm overthinking it, perhaps.

Thanks for the suggestions
Ted