Re: auto-save files, why?

[Karl Kleinpaste <karl@jprc.com>]

Hrvoje writes:
>> Are you sure?  Once you save the buffer, the autosave should be removed.

Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net> writes:
> But when you exit Emacs, it sees the open buffer.

The idea of an "open buffer" is a semantic null.  A file is opened,
read, and closed.  What matters thereafter is whether the buffer
containing that file's contents changes.

Once modified, and then once the file is saved (so changes have been
sync'd to disc), auto-saving is off, unless the contents of the file
are then modified again.  If no further changes are made, exit from
Emacs without specifically exiting Gnus means no autosave file is
created as Emacs departs this life.

Existence proof: In another XEmacs on another system, running Gnus, I
backed out to *Group*, hit `s' to save current contents, and the `C-x
C-c' to exit XEmacs.  No autosave was created.