Re: Making Emacs more newbie friendly

[ken <gebser@speakeasy.net>]

PT wrote:

> On Sat, 19 Mar 2005 12:47:54 +0200, Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> wrote:
>
>>> From: PT <mailshield.gg@mailnull.com>
>>> Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 06:40:54 +0100
>>>
>>> > C-h t
>>>
>>> That's exactly what I meant. The key bindings shown in the tutorial are
>>> leftovers from a world when there were no arrow keys on keyboards.
>>

As a touch-typist, I avoid the arrow keys, as well as the PageUp, 
PageDown, and all the other keys in that section of the keyboard.  And I 
avoid applications which force me to use them.  What I like about emacs 
is that I don't have to use these keys.  They really get in the way of 
productivity.


>>
>> [....]
>
>
>
> By arrow keys I also mean text selection with shift+arrow keys, etc. 
> It is  pretty standard in modern systems, so it should be turned on by 
> default.


Same applies here as above.  If you like using these kinds of 
keybindings, why don't you simply use an editor that uses them.  It 
sounds like learning something new is too advanced for you.


>
>>> I may sound like a heretic, but I don't think a newbie should learn new
>>> keybindings for cursor movement.
>>
>>
>> [....]
>

It's difficult for me to have any sympathy for someone who doesn't want 
to spend a half hour learning the basics of a new application.  You 
don't sound at all like a heretic; rather, it sounds like you're just 
really lazy.  Emacs is a great editor (and a lot more).  But, yeah, you 
have to learn a few new things in order to use it.  Rather than wasting 
time and bandwidth whining about how *hard* it is (because it really 
isn't all that hard), why not just spend some time learning?


>
>
> [....]
> I think the most frequent features should be reachable with a single 
> key  binding or with a multikey binding which involves at most two keys.
>
> For example, F2 which is a single-key binding controls two column mode 
> if  I'm not mistaken while save-buffer which is frequent operation is 
> on C-x  C-s. Dees it make sense from a newbie's point of view? Which 
> feature will  he use more frequently?
>
> C-o would be nice for opening a file, but C-x C-f? Now that's a bit  
> strange if I'm new to Emacs.
>
> I know these are traditional bindings, but they are strange 
> nevertheless.  At least that's what the newbies tell me. ("Emacs? You 
> have to know a lot  of long key combinations to use it. Too 
> complicated.")


I'm guessing that there's millions of people using emacs and doing so 
quite happily.  Do you seriously think it's a good idea to change 
keybindings that millions of people are accustomed to simply because you 
don't want to spend a half hour to learn them?

Sorry to sound harsh, but your suggestions need to be put in perspective.


-- 
A lot of us are working harder than we want, at things we dont like to
do.  Why? ...In order to afford the sort of existence we don't care to
live.
	-- Bradford Angier