Tags: patch
Severity: wishlist

(This bug could just as well be titled "Make ERC look more like
standalone clients," although that's perhaps a bit clickbaity.)


Hi,

Newcomers to ERC are occasionally dumbfounded by the absence of a
certain pair of IRC essentials, namely, a "window list" and a "nicknames
list." But what even existing users may not know is that ERC already has
both; they just don't quite work the way folks coming from other clients
might expect. This patch aims to address that as if it were a problem.

What's being proposed here is the addition of two new modules built
entirely on functionality already offered by their host libraries,
erc-status-sidebar.el and erc-speedbar.el. What's different is these
additions flirt with something somewhat verboten in ERC, and that's
changing existing defaults for non-security reasons (in this case,
chiefly for unifying UX [1]). Beyond that, these changes also hard-wire
potentially offensive choices into some of these defaults while trying
in earnest to ensure old behavior remains accessible. For example, one
module assumes no one with a non-nil `erc-header-line-format' has any
use for modes and topics in a side window. Other baked in preferences
include the nixing of all throwback icons [2] and the showing of
disconnected buffers in a muted face. The list goes on but is open for
discussion, as always.

Another consideration here is of course naming [3]. I've gone ahead and
dubbed the speedbar module 'nickbar' as a bit of an homage to its roots.
`nicklist' wasn't available because a popular module of that name was
once part of ERC, and people still use it today. For status-sidebar, I
went with `bufbar', in part for consistency but also because the
would-be canonical "status-sidebar" is already taken by the side
window's buffer for its major mode. We might also consider going with
the slightly pedestrian `buflist', which is already used by at least one
other IRC client for referring to this feature.

Lastly, I'd like to stress that these modules (thankfully) won't be
loaded by default, which means you'll need to add `bufbar' and `nickbar'
to `erc-modules' when trying them out. Note that this patch set
currently depends on bug#63569 [3], whose changes need applying
beforehand.

Thanks!


[1] My justifications for taking such liberties are at best anecdotal,
    based mostly on personal impressions of prevailing usage patterns
    and the perceived motivations behind them. A few examples:

    a. The relative newness of erc-status-sidebar.el, its lack of an
       associated module, and its absence from ERC's Custom menu all
       point to its defaults being somewhat more free for the changing.
       The speedbar integration likewise lacks a module, and its
       graphical-only nature means its set of users currently excludes
       anyone using ERC from a terminal. (Less expected fallout from the
       proposed churn, IOW.)

    b. Both libraries provide an always-open side window (or, in
       speedbar's case, frame), which imposes a specific layout on the
       user, something that's relatively rare in Emacs outside of
       IDE-style modes. Compare this to something like ibuffer for
       listing buffers or a hypothetical /NAMES buffer, which, if based
       on `tabulated-list-mode', would make for a more familiar means of
       reviewing channel members. The point here is that devoted users
       likely aren't messing with erc-status-sidebar or erc-speedbar in
       droves, preferring more Emacsy alternatives instead.

    c. Newcomers can't be bothered with an overly involved setup if it
       requires carefully exploring options before trying. But they're
       perfectly willing to copy/paste gobs of configuration or even
       mindlessly follow a minutes long Customize itinerary, so long as
       the promise of emerging with something resembling their present
       idea of what makes an IRC client remains within reach. By
       introducing these modules "preconfigured," I'm positing that
       these preconceived notions typically include a reactive window
       list and/or nick list. That said, my hope is that these users
       will eventually gravitate toward the more Emacs-native way of
       doing things, at which point these modules will have served their
       primary purpose (of acting as bait).

[2] My reason for 86'ing the icons outright in the speedbar's new
    "window mode" is consistency. I figure anyone who wants the vanilla
    experience wants it in full and thus also wants a separate frame.
    That said, I suppose we could add a knob for tweaking this (or any
    of the other hard-coded choices mentioned), but IMO doing that
    unprovoked just contributes to "options sprawl."

[3] FWIW, all module names in contention flout our supposed policy of
    preferring those that align with host libraries and the features
    they `provide'.


In GNU Emacs 30.0.50 (build 2, x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version
 3.24.37, cairo version 1.17.6) of 2023-05-13 built on localhost
Repository revision: 867b104010760c4b7cd700078884cc774a01860a
Repository branch: master
Windowing system distributor 'The X.Org Foundation', version 11.0.12014000
System Description: Fedora Linux 37 (Workstation Edition)

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Load-path shadows:
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