Re: Emacs-devel Digest, Vol 77, Issue 62

Re: Emacs-devel Digest, Vol 77, Issue 62

[Jose E. Marchesi]

    Why should they spend time to configure such basic things to try
    an obscure editor? They won't do that and that's why with time
    emacs will probably be more and more an obscure editor.
    
    It's sad, because it's such a great tool, and I don't want to see
    it fade away in obscurity. But if easy of entry is not increased
    for casual users then it is the most probable future for our
    beloved editor.

Is really Emacs fading away?  In that case, how it comes it did not
fade away before in more than 20 years of history?

I mean, are we sure we are talking about a real problem?  After a lot
of years suggesting people to run the Emacs tutorial I never got a
single complaint about C-c and C-v not working "as expected".  Maybe I
was extremely lucky.

The Bauer Principle is applicable here, IMHO.  In Van Wijngaarden
words: "Who does not want to use complex facilities, does not pay for
them.  If the user wants to use them, he has to pay a little."

But really, in this specific case the "payment" is as little as
reading a paragraph in the tutorial explaining the usage of the
kill-ring and C-y.  Anyone with the minimum amount of interest should
be able to pass through it.