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: Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:48:17 +0000 Message-ID: <20081118134817.GD2491@muc.de> References: <15962952-6180-41bd-abce-1b919aa55807@v13g2000pro.googlegroups.com> <87y6ziu4rm.fsf@gmail.com> <20081117233733.GB9335@muc.de> <87y6zhsc7l.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 1227015430 30560 80.91.229.12 (18 Nov 2008 13:37:10 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:37:10 +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 14:38:11 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 1L2QmD-0006jI-31 for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:37:57 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:32919 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1L2Ql4-0000dY-AB for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:36:46 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1L2QkK-0000La-Gq for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:36:00 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1L2QkK-0000Kx-0p for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:36:00 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (port=40934 helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1L2QkJ-0000Kp-UI for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:35:59 -0500 Original-Received: from colin.muc.de ([193.149.48.1]:4119 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 1L2QkJ-0002KC-PB for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:36:00 -0500 Original-Received: (qmail 50067 invoked by uid 3782); 18 Nov 2008 13:35:56 -0000 Original-Received: from acm.muc.de (pD9E5199F.dip.t-dialin.net [217.229.25.159]) by colin2.muc.de (tmda-ofmipd) with ESMTP; Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:35:51 +0100 Original-Received: (qmail 5657 invoked by uid 1000); 18 Nov 2008 13:48:17 -0000 Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <87y6zhsc7l.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:59900 Archived-At: Hi, Paul On Tue, Nov 18, 2008 at 08:52:14AM +0100, Paul R wrote: > Hello Alan, > Alan> There are lots of ways of switching buffers, none objectively the > Alan> best. You've assumed the axiom of choice in your paragraph above; > Alan> namely that there is some way of choosing a "best" way for each of > Alan> the uncountably infinite options in Emacs. You give yourself away > Alan> with the words "something like". ;-) > I used this words because any of them would do better than the current > behaviour. This of course reflect mainly my opinion, but because I have > some experience at teaching emacs to beginners, I can tell you it is a > general feeling among them. The remedy is in your own hands - set up one of these ways (_YOU_ have to chose it :-) in the .emacsen of the people you teach. But tell them you've done so, so that those it irritates can switch to a more pleasant (for them) way. My own way is to have the buffers I'm currently looking at each in its own frame (more or less), and I use F1, F2, ...., F11 to switch to the corresponding frame. Other than that, C-x b, C-x 5 b, and occasionally C-x 4 b do me just fine. Not everybody would like that, though! > Of course, you can argue that most student have no critisism and just > like what the teacher like. That would be a valid point, but I > honnestly have the feeling that it helps them a lot. If you were to set up some "better" buffer switching scheme, it would give you a good opportunity to emphasise to the beginner(s) that everybody is different (: "I'm not!" ;-) and each user needs to set up her Emacs to be efficient for _her_. > I just noticed again than one can switch buffers from the menu. This is > also an intuitive behaviour for beginners, indeed, but I would prefer > to give them the right tools to use emacs more easily from the > keyboard. C-x b, together with the use of alphanumeric keys, , , M-n and M-p? That doesn't seem all that awkward to me, certainly compared with the way other bits of software do it. Could it be you haven't sussed out all the flexibility of C-x b, or am I missing something important? > Regards, > Paul -- Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany).