Re: Emacs learning curve

[Walter Alejandro Iglesias]

Do you think using "ed" is difficult?  Try it a Sunday and you'll learn
how to use it in minutes.

The same happens with the vi editor.  Why?  Because since the first time
it is showed to the new user like a "different" tool.  Especially
different to what users are accustomed today.  Vi, since the first time
says to you "I am not notepad!", so spend a few minutes following the
tutorial or choose another tool.

The same could happen with Emacs but, like most gnu/linux graphical
applications (those you find in gnome, kde), Emacs (I mean the graphical
interface) tries to be friendly to the new user.  That is the mistake.

Most gnu/linux distributions install a command line version of vi but the
X11 or gtk version of emacs.  So the new user open emacs and expects the
menu, similar to the menu of the rest of applications, behaves like the
menu of rest of applications.  This is what common sense expects of a
"system": an unified behavior.  After a few clicks the newbie close Emacs
screwing to the mother of somebody.

What windows, mac os and some "graphical desktop gnu/linux" users don't
know is that Emacs is coherent with the wonderful gnu base system (core
utils and family), a good, moderate, evolution of unix tools.  And I am
seriously suspecting, reading this mailing list, some advanced emacs
users-developers suffer the same ignorance.  That's why, I think, Emacs
leaning curve is developing in a black hole (using gnus to read mail is
an example).

But I love you all.  So, let me KISS you! ;)

PD: elisp function's names are descriptive enough.  Why don't include
them "literally" in the menu, instead of the friendly descriptions that
just confuse.  In this way you at least invite the new user to learn.