From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Rustom Mody Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: RFC: Flavors - naming significant sets of customizations Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 18:52:30 -0800 (PST) Message-ID: <5fadd48f-9068-49be-9b90-cb1929df524d@googlegroups.com> References: <9fc6b1ae-7cbd-4a17-a9a0-f4af42969312@googlegroups.com> <5592550c-72f1-4e9b-93db-dc7f95742d27@googlegroups.com> <874n6vx2aq.fsf@nl106-137-194.student.uu.se> <877gbrj840.fsf@nl106-137-194.student.uu.se> NNTP-Posting-Host: plane.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1385780113 21997 80.91.229.3 (30 Nov 2013 02:55:13 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 30 Nov 2013 02:55:13 +0000 (UTC) To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sat Nov 30 03:55:19 2013 Return-path: Envelope-to: geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([208.118.235.17]) by plane.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1VmaiE-00024a-6Z for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Sat, 30 Nov 2013 03:55:18 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:50731 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1VmaiD-0007GN-Og for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Fri, 29 Nov 2013 21:55:17 -0500 X-Received: by 10.66.219.97 with SMTP id pn1mr16350616pac.9.1385779951269; Fri, 29 Nov 2013 18:52:31 -0800 (PST) X-Received: by 10.50.23.8 with SMTP id i8mr159597igf.8.1385779951026; Fri, 29 Nov 2013 18:52:31 -0800 (PST) Original-Path: usenet.stanford.edu!i10no3965887pba.1!news-out.google.com!p7ni3494qat.0!nntp.google.com!bm17no1905905qab.0!postnews.google.com!glegroupsg2000goo.googlegroups.com!not-for-mail Original-Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.help In-Reply-To: <877gbrj840.fsf@nl106-137-194.student.uu.se> Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com Injection-Info: glegroupsg2000goo.googlegroups.com; posting-host=59.95.9.38; posting-account=mBpa7woAAAAGLEWUUKpmbxm-Quu5D8ui Original-NNTP-Posting-Host: 59.95.9.38 User-Agent: G2/1.0 Injection-Date: Sat, 30 Nov 2013 02:52:31 +0000 Original-Xref: usenet.stanford.edu gnu.emacs.help:202468 X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:94737 Archived-At: On Saturday, November 30, 2013 1:25:02 AM UTC+5:30, Emanuel Berg wrote: > Jambunathan K writes: > > > A good way to think would be to "segment" the users. > > > > If one just puts a starting init file for each of the > > "segment" in GNU ELPA, then this file and library > > itself will become a focal point for consensus > > building. In a word, the .el file becomes a > > "clearing house" for common or recommended > > configuration. > > ...although I understand it now, I still don't like > it. It is something "Asperger > syndrome"/schoolboyishness about that whole line of > thinking. > > If we have a tool that can do a hundred things, why > market it as "you should use this suite, if you want to > do [a subset] 10 things?" Does that really make sense? It makes sense because of a basic principle of psychology: Tell people (about) what interests them and you attract them. Tell people what interests you and you bore them. [Remember your experience with writing letters to Linux Mag?] Which is why (something like) Jambunathan's list is useful: Tell someone "emacs is the most super-duper all-powerful editor" and they blink: Why should I want a super-duper all-powerful editor? Show them how to solve their current problem and they will be all ears. [BTW Advertising is a trillion dollar business]