This _HAS_ to be buffer-local if it is supposed to mimic the same variable under Emacs 20.x Without this, packages that (correctly) set enable-multibyte-characters can screw each other over. And individual applications should *NOT* have to make this buffer-local themselves. -bp Index: coding.el =================================================================== RCS file: /usr/CVSroot/XEmacs/xemacs/lisp/coding.el,v retrieving revision 1.2.2.2 diff -c -w -r1.2.2.2 coding.el *** coding.el 1999/06/11 03:09:19 1.2.2.2 --- coding.el 1999/07/30 18:11:46 *************** *** 207,212 **** --- 207,213 ---- (copy-coding-system 'undecided 'automatic-conversion) (make-compatible-variable 'enable-multibyte-characters "Unimplemented") + (make-variable-buffer-local 'enable-multibyte-characters) (define-obsolete-variable-alias 'pathname-coding-system 'file-name-coding-system)