Re: Using "Emacs Configure" **and** modifying .emacs

[Emanuel Berg <moasen@zoho.com>]

Robert Thorpe wrote:

> I don't have any problems with the
> Customize interface.

The problem with the interface is there are
a bunch of text and buttons all over and many
people come to Emacs because they have had it
with text and buttons all over. The buttons on
the keyboard are sufficient, thank you.

> It's usually easier for me to find options
> through the Customize interface than using
> the info manual or other methods.

Did you try C-h v and then auto-completion?
Or `apropos' and then search? If the package
has sound naming (prefix and then standard
computer lingo) I never had a problem finding
the variables. Often making a qualified guess
plus search is quicker than using the manual or
some other documentation to find it.

> The problem I have with Customize is the way
> that it modifies the init file. It puts all
> of the settings into a single block.
> That block can be in the init file or it can
> be in another file. It's always all in
> one place.

Indeed: extreamly ugly and impractical in
every sense.

> In my view that makes it difficult to
> partition the init file well.

Even more so if you have several files for
different packages, libraries, and so on!

The whole argument that ~"Customize hides its
edits in another file, so it doesn't matter how
it looks and it doesn't influence your init
files" - it *does* influence the init file(s)
in the sense that it displaces the configs from
there, you can't see what settings you have,
and you can't quickly go to the specific file,
change the one and only one setting you wish to
change, re-eval, and be done with it.

> I want related things to be together.

Everyone wants that and the easiest way to
achieve it is to instead of using tools to
write code use the keyboard for that.

-- 
underground experts united
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573