> On 20 Apr 2015, at 11:38, Artur Malabarba <bruce.connor.am@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > I do wonder if all of this can be avoided by teaching users to
> > insert `use-package lines/snippets/etc into their .emacs, instead
> > of `require. It would also address some slow-start issues at the
> > same time.
> 
> I started this thread because I was tired of telling people to add package-initialize to their init file, and you want to teach them to use use-package? :-)
> 
Thats fair, but (in case its not clear), Im suggesting that we try
to move everyone away from ever saying Add this line to .emacs:
(require, and *instead* get them to say the very similar Add this
line to .emacs: (use-package.

The hope (unsupported by actual evidence, of course) is that its a
simple enough change that its not as difficult as telling people
how to find the right point in their init file to put package-initialize
w.r.t. the various `require lines, which move around. As an additional
benefit, emacs will start faster, and the users init file will
naturally tell them where to customize that package. (In a potential
future, we could even have customize or a replacement add the options
to the use-package statement directly - but thats down the road).

> The point is that users shouldn't run into trouble for doing such basic configurations. If they have to ask for help on this then I we've already failed.
> 

Agreed. My hope was to get people to suggest an equally-simple but
better alternative to `require in .emacs (which is already something
that wed like to avoid).

Hope that helps. Sorry to add to the noise if not. Thanks!
~Chad