Re: Initial splash screen

[David Kastrup <dak@gnu.org>]

Stephen Berman <Stephen.Berman@gmx.net> writes:

> On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:53:29 -0400 Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org> wrote:
>
>> I won't reject this, but I am not sure if it is really more
>> convenient.  To have to answer the question may be more
>> inconvenient than to be shown the splash screen.  People will say
>> "turn it off" because they don't want to be asked the question, not
>> because of the splash screen itself.
>
> You may be right; I don't know.  But at least the question can force
> them to take notice of the splash screen.

There is a name for an interface forcibly stopping people from
starting to work before they have presumably perused something: it is
"nagware".  We should focus on making Emacs convenient for people, not
making people convenient for Emacs.  The latter does not work, anyway.

Personally, I'd use
(message "Check the \"Help/About Emacs\" menu entry for basic usage pointers.")
when Emacs is started with file names on the command line.

That does not interfere with work since the frame can already display
the final layout (apart from the message area).  And its message is
simple enough to remember the gist of what it was about.  You don't
have a chance to remember what the complex splash screen was about, in
contrast, when your priority was to get it out of your face and be
able to start working (and starting Emacs with file names very much
implies that you intend to start it for the purpose of doing some
work).

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum