Re: Honoring traditional defaults - how to do it. [was: Transient Mark Mode on bydefault]

[Mike Mattie <codermattie@gmail.com>]

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On Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:24:42 -0400
Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org> wrote:

>     >    "You are running an Emacs configuration designed to be easy
>     > to _learn_.  When you have become somewhat proficient in its
>     > use, you may wish to switch to a standard Emacs setup, which is
>     > optimised for ease of _use_ rather than ease of learning."
> 
>     I like how you formulate the difference between ease of learn and
> ease of use.
> 
> Making Emacs easier to learn is an improvement, in general.
> But what use is there in having a different Emacs configuration
> which is easier to learn, if it is not the recommended mode of use?
> 
> That seems like telling people a shortcut leading to somewhere other
> than their destination.

That is the essence of my disagreement by endorsing t-m-m with default
status. Since the user's of things like t-m-m can't articulate how
the mode enhances their productivity beyond force of habit, expecting
them to articulate where they are going with it
(other than emulation - a poor standard: emulating which program/system?), 
and how it's useful is not possible.

The fact that the region abstraction is thoroughly broken as well because
they tried to make persistent marks transient, instead of making regions
transient is a disaster piled on top of confusion.

I won't argue with force of habit, but I will argue with quick and dirty hacks
where the Right Way: a new region abstraction, was eschewed for implementation
speed leaving a legacy of nasty complexity for others to sort out.

Others sorting it out implies someone who cares enough about making it simple
enough that bugs are obvious doing a considerable amount of work. The alternative
is more hair and bugs.

> 

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