Local variables liberties

[Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support>]

* Dr. Arne Babenhauserheide <arne_bab@web.de> [2020-11-25 11:11]:
> 
> Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support> writes:
> 
> > * Dr. Arne Babenhauserheide <arne_bab@web.de> [2020-11-24 21:51]:
> >> 
> >> Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support> writes:
> >> >> The start of the local variables list should be no more than 3000
> >> >> > characters from the end of the file
> >> >> 
> >> >> 
> >> >> Given the length of the email, I guess this is why Emacs saw the variables
> >> >> as being within the correct range.
> >> >
> >> > Yes thank you. I was thinking Emacs will do that only in files where
> >> > it recognizes some comments or no comments and that variables need
> >> > to be pretty down in the file, on the bottom. Now I learn it is not
> >> > so.
> >> >
> >> > That is security issue.
> >> 
> >> Why is it a security issue? The variables do need to be close to the end
> >> — 3000 characters is only about 50 lines.
> >
> > Emacs users, Org users on our mailing lists are not so private. Their
> > names and email addresses are in the public database. Spammer can
> > construct phishing type of an email, including something like Org news
> > or something and send such email to users. Among let us say 3000
> > people there will be percentage of users that will say Y to invoke the
> > local variables due to lack of knowing what is it doing to computer.
> 
> That isn’t what I meant with my question. What I meant is: Why is it a
> security issue that the variable cannot only be at the exact end of the
> file but instead can be in the last 3000 characters of the file?

Not that I really answered on that meaning. In that meaning I find it
troublesome that Local variables will work by formatting of any kind

Example would be when there are OTHER things intertwined with local
variables. The file with this text below still works, and it is not
necessary that it works in that way. My eye goes to the end of
file. My expectation is not that local variables work anywhere in the
file just by counting number of characters as such ends of files can
look any how, formatting is too free and I would make it rigid that
users can look with their eyes easily to where those local variables
really are.

I would rather support that Local variables cannot start in the column
like 10, maybe they can start in column up to 5th or something similar
and that their End: cannot be longer then few lines from the bottom
and to be highlighted by default.


Some file

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec a diam
lectus. Sed sit amet ipsum mauris. Maecenas congue ligula ac quam
viverra nec consectetur ante hendrerit. Donec et mollis
dolor. Praesent et diam eget libero egestas mattis sit amet vitae
augue. Nam tincidunt congue enim, ut porta lorem lacinia
consectetur. Donec ut libero sed arcu vehicula ultricies a non                                                                      Local Variables:
consectetur. Donec ut libero sed arcu vehicula ultricies a non                                                                      ivy-mode: 1
consectetur. Donec ut libero sed arcu vehicula ultricies a non                                                                      End:
tortor. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing                                                                          ivy-mode: 1
elit. Aenean ut gravida lorem. Ut turpis felis, pulvinar a semper sed,                                                              End:
adipiscing id dolor. Pellentesque auctor nisi id magna consequat                      
sagittis. Curabitur dapibus enim sit amet elit pharetra tincidunt
feugiat nisl imperdiet. Ut convallis libero in urna ultrices
accumsan. Donec sed odio eros. Donec viverra mi quis quam pulvinar at
malesuada arcu rhoncus. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis
parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. In rutrum accumsan
ultricies. Mauris vitae nisi at sem facilisis semper ac in est.