4 files changed, 138 insertions, 1 deletions
diff --git a/admin/authors.el b/admin/authors.el
index b4e6c934b67..3dec23c1916 100644
--- a/admin/authors.el
+++ b/admin/authors.el
@@ -1676,7 +1676,7 @@ list of their contributions.\n")
 		(insert "\n "))
 	    (insert " " file))
 	  (insert "\n")))))
-    (insert "\nLocal" " Variables:\ncoding: "
+    (insert "\nLocal" " Variables:\nmode: etc-authors\ncoding: "
 	    (symbol-name authors-coding-system) "\nEnd:\n")
     (message "Generating buffer %s... done" buffer-name)
     (unless noninteractive
diff --git a/etc/AUTHORS b/etc/AUTHORS
index 3e91efb570e..b599809e3e2 100644
--- a/etc/AUTHORS
+++ b/etc/AUTHORS
@@ -5521,5 +5521,6 @@ Zoran Milojevic: changed avoid.el
 উৎসব রায়: changed quail/indian.el
 
 Local Variables:
+mode: etc-authors
 coding: utf-8
 End:
diff --git a/etc/NEWS b/etc/NEWS
index eeb753a9af8..7765f5a6797 100644
--- a/etc/NEWS
+++ b/etc/NEWS
@@ -3080,6 +3080,11 @@ similar to prefix arguments, but are more flexible and discoverable.
 It's a library to create, query, navigate and display hierarchical
 structures.
 
+---
+** New major mode for displaying the "etc/AUTHORS" file.
+This new 'etc-authors-mode' provides font-locking for displaying the
+"etc/AUTHORS" file from the Emacs distribution, and not much else.
+
 
 * Incompatible Editing Changes in Emacs 28.1
 
diff --git a/lisp/textmodes/etc-authors-mode.el b/lisp/textmodes/etc-authors-mode.el
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..09ad1983466
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lisp/textmodes/etc-authors-mode.el
@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+;;; etc-authors-mode.el --- font-locking for etc/AUTHORS  -*- lexical-binding: t -*-
+
+;; Copyright (C) 2021 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+
+;; Author: Stefan Kangas <stefan@marxist.se>
+;; Keywords: internal
+
+;; This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+;; it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+;; the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+;; (at your option) any later version.
+
+;; This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+;; but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+;; MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+;; GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+;; You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+;; along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+;;; Commentary:
+
+;; Major mode to display the etc/AUTHORS file from the Emacs
+;; distribution.  Provides some basic font locking and not much else.
+
+;;; Code:
+
+(defgroup etc-authors-mode nil
+  "Display the \"etc/AUTHORS\" file from the Emacs distribution."
+  :version "28.1"
+  :group 'internal)
+
+(defface etc-authors-default '((t :inherit variable-pitch))
+  "Default face used to display the \"etc/AUTHORS\" file.
+See also `etc-authors-mode'."
+  :version "28.1")
+
+(defface etc-authors-author '((((class color) (min-colors 88) (background light))
+                    :foreground "midnight blue"
+                    :weight bold :height 1.05
+                    :inherit variable-pitch)
+                   (((class color) (min-colors 88) (background dark))
+                    :foreground "cyan"
+                    :weight bold :height 1.05
+                    :inherit variable-pitch)
+                   (((supports :weight bold) (supports :height 1.05))
+                    :weight bold :height 1.05
+                    :inherit variable-pitch)
+                   (((supports :weight bold))
+                    :weight bold :inherit variable-pitch)
+                   (t :inherit variable-pitch))
+  "Face used for the author in the \"etc/AUTHORS\" file.
+See also `etc-authors-mode'."
+  :version "28.1")
+
+(defface etc-authors-descriptor '((((class color) (min-colors 88) (background light))
+                        :foreground "sienna" :inherit variable-pitch)
+                       (((class color) (min-colors 88) (background dark))
+                        :foreground "peru" :inherit variable-pitch)
+                       (t :inherit variable-pitch))
+  "Face used for the description text in the \"etc/AUTHORS\" file.
+See also `etc-authors-mode'."
+  :version "28.1")
+
+(defface etc-authors-other-files '((t :inherit etc-authors-descriptor))
+  "Face used for the \"other files\" text in the \"etc/AUTHORS\" file.
+See also `etc-authors-mode'."
+  :version "28.1")
+
+(defconst etc-authors--author-re
+  (rx bol (group (not (any blank "\n")) (+? (not (any ":" "\n")))) ":")
+  "Regexp matching an author in \"etc/AUTHORS\".")
+
+(defvar etc-authors-mode-font-lock-keywords
+  `((,etc-authors--author-re
+     1 'etc-authors-author)
+    (,(rx (or "wrote"
+              (seq (? "and ") (or "co-wrote" "changed"))))
+     0 'etc-authors-descriptor)
+    (,(rx "and " (+ digit) " other files")
+     0 'etc-authors-other-files)
+    (,(rx bol (not space) (+ not-newline) eol)
+     0 'etc-authors-default)))
+
+(defun etc-authors-mode--hide-local-variables ()
+  "Hide local variables in \"etc/AUTHORS\".  Used by `etc-authors-mode'."
+  (narrow-to-region (point-min)
+                    (save-excursion
+                      (goto-char (point-min))
+                      (if (re-search-forward "^Local Variables:$" nil t)
+                          (progn (forward-line -1) (point))
+                        (point-max)))))
+
+(defun etc-authors-next-author (&optional arg)
+  "Move point to the next author in \"etc/AUTHORS\".
+With a prefix arg ARG, move point that many authors forward."
+  (interactive "p" etc-authors-mode)
+  (if (< 0 arg)
+      (progn
+        (when (looking-at etc-authors--author-re)
+          (forward-line 1))
+        (re-search-forward etc-authors--author-re nil t arg))
+    (when (looking-at etc-authors--author-re)
+          (forward-line -1))
+    (re-search-backward etc-authors--author-re nil t (abs arg)))
+  (goto-char (line-beginning-position)))
+
+(defun etc-authors-prev-author (&optional arg)
+  "Move point to the previous author in \"etc/AUTHORS\".
+With a prefix arg ARG, move point that many authors backward."
+  (interactive "p" etc-authors-mode)
+  (etc-authors-next-author (- arg)))
+
+(defvar etc-authors-mode-map
+  (let ((map (make-sparse-keymap)))
+    (define-key map "n" #'etc-authors-next-author)
+    (define-key map "p" #'etc-authors-prev-author)
+    map)
+  "Keymap for `etc-authors-mode'.")
+
+;;;###autoload
+(define-derived-mode etc-authors-mode special-mode "Authors View"
+  "Major mode for viewing \"etc/AUTHORS\" from the Emacs distribution.
+Provides some basic font locking and not much else."
+  (setq-local font-lock-defaults
+              '(etc-authors-mode-font-lock-keywords nil nil ((?_ . "w"))))
+  (setq font-lock-multiline nil)
+  (etc-authors-mode--hide-local-variables))
+
+(provide 'etc-authors-mode)
+;;; etc-authors-mode.el ends here