From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Alan Mackenzie Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: emacs mode line suggestions Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:37:33 +0000 Message-ID: <20081117233733.GB9335@muc.de> References: <15962952-6180-41bd-abce-1b919aa55807@v13g2000pro.googlegroups.com> <87y6ziu4rm.fsf@gmail.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1226964351 29858 80.91.229.12 (17 Nov 2008 23:25:51 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:25:51 +0000 (UTC) Cc: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org To: Paul R Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Tue Nov 18 00:26:54 2008 Return-path: Envelope-to: geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1L2DUW-0006su-NF for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:26:48 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:55071 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1L2DTN-0006WH-T2 for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:25:37 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1L2DT4-0006W2-67 for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:25:18 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1L2DT2-0006Vq-Pv for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:25:16 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (port=59762 helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1L2DT2-0006Vn-JC for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:25:16 -0500 Original-Received: from colin.muc.de ([193.149.48.1]:4436 helo=mail.muc.de) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS-1.0:DHE_RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:32) (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1L2DT2-0002qz-3H for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:25:16 -0500 Original-Received: (qmail 48677 invoked by uid 3782); 17 Nov 2008 23:25:12 -0000 Original-Received: from acm.muc.de (pD9E5292D.dip.t-dialin.net [217.229.41.45]) by colin2.muc.de (tmda-ofmipd) with ESMTP; Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:25:10 +0100 Original-Received: (qmail 9695 invoked by uid 1000); 17 Nov 2008 23:37:33 -0000 Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <87y6ziu4rm.fsf@gmail.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.9i X-Delivery-Agent: TMDA/1.1.5 (Fettercairn) X-Primary-Address: acm@muc.de X-detected-operating-system: by monty-python.gnu.org: FreeBSD 4.6-4.9 X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:59882 Archived-At: Hi, Paul! On Mon, Nov 17, 2008 at 09:37:49AM +0100, Paul R wrote: > Finally, I also think that not turning on something like ido or > iswitchb by default is a terrible default usability choice, and I hope > it is still time for core developpers to think about it again. There's a good reason. Emacs's philosophy is not to get in your way. Having to disable "helpful" features to get a comfortable working system is far, far worse than having to enable them. (Think of having to turn of Microsoft's "helpful" dancing paper clip, or their habit of insisting the first word of a sentence must be capitalised. AAARGGHHH!!!) There are lots of ways of switching buffers, none objectively the best. You've assumed the axiom of choice in your paragraph above; namely that there is some way of choosing a "best" way for each of the uncountably infinite options in Emacs. You give yourself away with the words "something like". ;-) > Paul -- Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany).