Re: Honoring traditional defaults - how to do it. [was: Transient Mark Mode on bydefault]

[paul r]

2008/3/25, Alan Mackenzie <address@hidden>:

>  I've been thinking; what are the requirements here?  I think they're:
>  (i) It must be _easy_ for a newbie to start an Emacs in "lazy" mode
>   (i.e., with the UI stuff from lesser applications enabled).
ok
>  (ii) The said newby must be made aware that she's started a "dumbed down"
>   version of Emacs, and encouraged to switch a standard setup.

I think this is acceptable. Emacs(easy) must be made to minimize
surprise, then going from emacs(simple) to emacs(regular) should
remain a doable path, with a tutorial explaining what will change, and
why those changes will increase power. If this is well implemented, I
think it can be a working solution.

>  (iii) The most standard way of starting emacs (i.e., the command "emacs")
>   must start the standard setup.

I do not agree on that point. Again, I think power users must adapt,
not beginners.

>  I think all these things can be achieved with a simple alias:
>
>     % alias emacs_easy='emacs --load /path/to/lisp/emacs-easy.el'
>
>  .  emacs-easy.el, besides setting up the "easy" defaults, should display
>  a startup screen with a message something like:

Could you detail what is the benefit from your pov of an alias over a
"mode", as proposed before ?

>    "You are running an Emacs configuration designed to be easy to
>     _learn_.  When you have become somewhat proficient in its use, you
>     may wish to switch to a standard Emacs setup, which is optimised for
>     ease of _use_ rather than ease of learning."

I like how you formulate the difference between ease of learn and ease of use.