The first is a bug (I think), the other three problems are just annoying since I have to do something (as everybody I suppose). Environment: RH 6.1, emacs 20.4, tchs 6.08, all out-of-the-box: 1) (bug) M-x dirs copies the command name it sends to the shell ('dirs') to the buffer thus making the emacs' internal 'cd' command wanting to cd to (in general non-existent) directory 'dirs' instead to the correct one, therefore saying "couldn't cd" in the minibuffer. Yes I did disable echo and ^M as suggested in the info & FAQ. 2) (annoying default setting) disabling ^M: could this be added to the init? I mean (add-hook 'comint-output-filter-functions 'comint-strip-ctrl-m) 3) (annoying default setting) not echoing non-substituted commands: could this be added to the defaults? (set-variable 'comint-process-echoes 'T) 4) (annoying) default typeface: it appears it has no idea what the -fg and -bg colors are from the emacs' command line, as it sets the dafault typeface colors to black & white. Therefore one has to do color setting such as (custom-set-variables) (custom-set-faces '(default ((t (:foreground "white" :background "firebrick"))))) (if one has set the -fg and -bg colors to firebrick and white). -- Jan Hajic hajic.cuni.cz
I find most of these annoying as well, but we should persuade FSF to change these defaults. We're getting nasty mail from FSF folks every time we change the defaukts on emacs, so it might be better to take this feedback directly to them.