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From: king@KESTREL.ARPA (Dick King)
Newsgroups: comp.emacs
Subject: concerning Gnu Emacs backup files
Message-ID: <8701100143.AA15865@kestrel.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 9-Jan-87 20:43:59 EST
Article-I.D.: kestrel.8701100143.AA15865
Posted: Fri Jan  9 20:43:59 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 10-Jan-87 02:24:52 EST
Sender: daemon@mit-eddie.MIT.EDU
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   From: vis!greg@nosc.arpa
   Return-Receipt-To: vis!greg@nosc.arpa
   Date: 09 Jan 87 12:38:42 PST (Fri)


	   Date: Sun, 4 Jan 87 22:07:48 EST
	   From: nosc!rms@prep.ai.mit.edu (Richard M. Stallman)
	   To: info-gnu-emacs@prep.ai.mit.edu
	   In-Reply-To: John Foderaro's message of Sun, 04 Jan 87 11:28:08 PST
	   Subject: concerning Gnu Emacs backup files 

	   The purpose of backup files is to stay around for a while so you can
	   back out of mistakes.  Backup files are not out of date until months
	   have gone by and it is no longer likely you will come across a bug.

   How can this be?  If I make major changes to a file, then go back and put
   in a missing semicolon, the interesting backup is lost.  

That's why i put in kept-new-versions as well as kept-old-versions.
When you develop affection for a version you delete enough old
versions so the treasured version is one of the kept-old-version
oldest ones.  If you decide you want to keep a third version [assuming
kept-old-versions is 2, the default] you either must throw out one or
change kept-old-versions [possibly for versions of that file only, in
a local variable].

   _Greg

-dick