Re: The minibuffer vs. Dialog Boxes (Re: Making XEmacs be more up-to-date)

[Hrvoje Niksic <hniksic@arsdigita.com>]

Terje Bless <link@pobox.com> writes:

>>I'm not sure what you mean by "the buffer sub-menu", but in the
>>menubar, the "Buffers" menu contains a "Go to buffer..." item which
>>is marked with `C-x b' -- and that's how you switch buffers using
>>keyboard.
>
> I'm struggling with the limits of my Emacs vocabulary here, but I
> have the Buffers menu set up to group buffers by type (that "mode"
> rather, probably, no?) and to give each group of buffers their own
> sub menu.

As I said, so do I.

> The only command listed with a keyboard shortcut in my XEmacs is the
> "List All Buffers" command.

You're probably using the "Buffers Popup Menu" which pops up when you
right-click on the part of the mode line where the buffer name
resides.  I was talking about the "Buffers" menu on the menubar (the
top-level menu on the top of an XEmacs frame.)

The "Switch to Buffer" command could trivially be added to the popup
menu as well.

>>Pressing `C-x b <tab>' gives you a "completions" buffer
>
> And *poof* you've just thrown me into a new world; "Mommy this is
> _confusing_! My window just split in two and half my text is hidden. I
> don't know what to do!"
>
> You're giving me too many options. You're making me think too much,
> forcing me to make choices I don't care about.

Then keep using the menus and ignore my suggestions.  I merely tried
to help.

I have no desire to debate the rest of your message.  You were
unwilling to even try `edmacro' for long enough to get the point I was
trying to make.  You obviously use a different query-replace, one
whose help doesn't explain "Type Space or `y' to replace one match,
Delete or `n' to skip to next," at the very first line of output.  You
seem to be unwilling to study isearch for more than three seconds to
grasp why it makes more sense than a huge dialog box.

XEmacs has a lot of flaws, many of which can be fixed with appropriate
user input.  What you're providing is a mixture of complaints,
philosophy, and displays of stubborn refusal to learn about the things
that XEmacs *does* get right.  I wish I could ignore the parts I don't
care about and learn from your input, but I can't.  To paraphrase you,
you're giving me too much.