Quoting Karoly Negyesi <karoly@negyesi.net>: Since you've decided to respond even though we were asked by Dries to use the issue for comment ...
I read the issue, and ironically 'gut feeling' and personal taste was the only reason offered for *changing* <!--break--> to something else. I don't care enough about the issue to fight on way or another, but the thread was frustrating to read; a late-in-the-game core patch went up, received NO positive reviews, and several negative ones. It was immediately committed.
Well, the new tag looks better and is easier to type.
BS. How many times is someone going to think <br> instead of <break>? If you want fewer characters why not just </> for a break marker. As I stated in the issue, I am already in HTML thinking mode and <!--break--> is natural when thinking in HTML, while <break> isn't. Your statement is like a child going after a toy his parents won't let him have, it is meaningless w.r.t. causing hardship on those who have to learn a new way, convert their data and become extremely upset with such a childish change for childish reasons.
Aside from that, as I mentioned in my earlier letter, the followups on filter-released issues are usually so off the track that it's no surprise Steven simply skips them. For example, never forget that I fought so hard for input filtering which is technically absurd that I have actually *coded* it -- all that work bought me was a through explanation so now I know why it's wrong (think of truncating an HTML-escaped, entitized text -- that's a horrible mess), and to know where Drupal text filtering goes to be secure (we provide APIs of which t() is a very nice example). So I am guilty here in strengthening the 'developers do not understand filter' attitude.
I am new to Drupal so Steven forgive my ignorance. I am beginning to understand that you put a lot of work into Drupal and for that I am greatful but I am not going to become disinclined to comment just because of that. I am not new to user interface and working with and programming applications with 25+ years in the business so I have earned my rights to be heard.
There are a lot of factors that went into this issue: the very long code freeze, the 'bikeshed' factor made worse by the fact that people believe they understand it but they don't, the history of similarly misunderstood filter issues (which were only misunderstood by developers but that's bad enough).
And there are a lot of factors yet to be heard and developer to user communication may not have been heard yet. It sounds to me as if Steven thought it, Steven explained it to a few developers those developers agreed and now everyone else (in particular the user community) is upset. IMO it is time to change the color of the bikeshed back to its original color as 90% of development should be listening to what the user wants. This hasn't even hit most of the user community yet, what is going to happen on the support list when an official release happens? Earnie