RE: IDE

[Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>]

> > Whether separate frames are used or not is not so important.
> > It is important, though, to be _able_ to show the completions
> > without necessarily showing the help for the current one.
> > IOW, separate display can be useful, whether or not separate
> > frames are used for that.
> 
> If you're forced to use the same frame, you're forced to make the
> documentation pane and the completions menu the same height (or
> width), or just have an empty rectangle somewhere. That's not ideal.

I agree.  I personally use separate frames for them, and the
frames are fit to the content they display.

My point was that what is important is the ability to separate
their display - not couple them in a hardcoded way.  Whether
separate frames are used for that is a separate question, and
less important.  (But yes, I too prefer separate frames.)

Separate frames allow not only elimination of wasted space, for
the reason you gave.  They can also be overlapped, which can be
useful for additional space savings.  IOW, sometimes you don't
need to see all of the contents of each frame, and you want to
additionally see other stuff on your display at the same time.
Frames allow great flexibility for screen real estate.

> > What is better, and why?  Please don't gloss over this.
> 
> Not having to always look at the minibuffer when entering stuff.

If what you are entering is simple then you don't have to look
at it.  And if not then you still need to look at the place where
you are inputting/editing the pattern to complete.

I agree that it can be handy for that to be point in the main
buffer.  But a con in that scenario is the attendant "busyness"
of that area: input pattern editing + output completions & help
display.  And if you allow not just completion and help, but
also actions on the current candidate (a la Helm or Icicles)
then the display can become even busier in that area.

And for a complex input pattern, which might be multiline,
using a separate editing buffer (the minibuffer) is a plus, IMO.

> > Does it display the complete doc string?  If not, I'd say users
> > are missing out.  If yes, and this is done systematically, I'd
> > say that users are being force-fed.  They should have a choice.
> 
> The user can disable the minor mode.

What does that mean?  Does it (can it) display the complete doc
string?