Re: Options menu

[David Kastrup <dak@gnu.org>]

Jason Rumney <jasonr@gnu.org> writes:

> David Kastrup <dak@gnu.org> writes:
>
>> Since I have stared now at the current menus for 21.4 and 22.x for
>> longer than probably ever previously, I would like to mention one
>> other thing that has struck me as standing out negatively, and this
>> _would_ be a change with regard to 21.4: I'd swap the order of the
>> "Save Options" and "Customize Emacs" menu entries to make "Save
>> Options" be the last entry in the menu: that's where people look
>> for it.
>
> I think the reason to put it above "Customize Emacs" is to avoid
> misleading users into thinking that it will save changes made inside
> customize.
>
>> I am also not happy about the "Customize Emacs" menu name: it
>> implies that selecting options in the Options menu would be
>> different from customizing Emacs.  I'd prefer to have this menu
>> called "All Options"
>
> This has the same potential for misleading users about the scope of
> "Save Options".

Ok, now I know at least a potential reason for that arrangement.
Given that information, I am pretty much of the opinion that this
arrangement is fundamentally broken, and swapping the two menu entries
is a feeble attempt of conceiling it.  We won't fool anybody but
ourselves by that (well, we _will_ fool the users).

Putting "customize" off the "Options" menu altother does not appear
helpful (how about an unselectable entry "See also Tools/Customize"?),
so the only reasonably safe way I can think of is having "Save
Options" quip:

"Some Options have been set with Customize.  Save them too?"

as long as customized non-saved options remain.

Yes, this would make the proposed renaming of "Customize Emacs" into
"All Options" not the best idea.  However, "Customize Emacs" also does
not bring across the information that "Customize" is a special way of
customizing Emacs: the "Options" menu certainly is also used for
customizing Emacs.  So either we'd have to name this "Use Customize"
or "Customize" only, or "Customize Tool" (which would beg the question
why it is not in the "Tools" menu).

Swapping the menu entries alone (as is the reason for the current
arrangement) is far too obscure to help users figure that out.  In
addition, it will be a convenient shortcut for people playing around
with several customize options before they settle on an arrangement
they find fit for saving.

I am glad to hear that there is a reason for that strange order of
options, but I think the problem we are trying to solve that way
requires a less subtle approach.

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum