Re: [External] : Re: Convert README.org to plain text README while installing package

[tomas]

On Sun, Jun 19, 2022 at 10:24:10AM +1000, Tim Cross wrote:
> 
> Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com> writes:
> 
> >> > I find it jarring when people throw in the very verbose org format
> >> > for source blocks.
> >> 
> >> How would you delimit a source block?
> >
> > Dunno what OP had in mind, but if, as for
> > the context of my comment, there's no need
> > to delimit it, then, well ... no need to
> > delimit it.
> >
> > Maybe it's a habit.  Dunno.
> 
> I suspect there are likely a number of contributing factors, including 

[good insights]

> I still think the worst thing that ever happened to email was moving
> away from plain text and allowing HTML. Unfortunately, HTML has now
> become so ubiquitous in email, people now see plain text as 'old' or
> 'primitive'. There is also the issue that most people tend to use
> proportional fonts these days, so the old days of being able to create OK
> formatted tabular data in plain text are gone - you need HTML now. 

Definitely.

> As to the verbosity or jarring nature of #+begin_src/#+end_src as
> delimiters - I really just don't notice them. I guess that after years
> of reading config files and using programming languages with too much
> boiler plate code, I've developed the skill to easily ignore such
> trivial constructs. 

But that's the point. To some people, obviously, #+begin_foo is at
least as jarring as HTML markup seems to us (I'm not talking about
sick Microsoft markup, where 3/4 of the file is fonts and CSS, that's
even worse. I'm talking about somewhat "readable" HTML, some renderers
try to do this).

> Of course, if your using emacs, it is reasonably trivial to make them
> less intrusive with various font locking techniques. If your not using
> Emacs for your email, well I guess that is what happens when you use an
> inferior solutions ;-) If you are using emacs and haven't bothered doing
> anything to reduce the jarring nature, I guess it isn't that bad an itch
> after all.

I think here we are at the core of the conflict. "Well, duh, use Emacs"
(and implicitly: "use Org mode") is akin to "well, duh, use a browser".

As fond as I am of Org myself (I admitted in this thread to writing
it by hand without mode support), I think expecting people to follow
suit is bound to create this conflict.

No, to me, Org markup isn't jarring. But I can perfectly well relate
to this feeling.

I think, at this point it would be much wiser to take a step back
and think about a solution instead of just repeating "but Org is
better" :-)

Cheers
-- 
t

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