From: Carson Chittom <carson@wistly.net>
To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
Subject: Re: What's an even easier explanation how to setup gnus ...
Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 12:58:27 -0500 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <8761v9fp6k.fsf@abbey.wistly.net> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 5i61va9u7p.fsf@fencepost.gnu.org
Don Saklad <dsaklad@gnu.org> writes:
> Please explain the instructions for folks completely unfamiliar with
> computers, for complete novices how to setup gnus... for example for
> grandparents unfamiliar with computers.
Absent some other compelling fact of which I am not currently aware, I
don't think "grandparents unfamiliar with computers" should be using
Gnus for mail. I don't say this from some elitist conviction that they
should already know how to use it or any such nonsense. But Gnus'
defining feature is its configurability, and therefore complexity:
because it's so complex it's *hard* and you have to be able to read the
instructions, by and large, to do much that's useful. Just to pick what
is to me the obvious example, when you start Gnus by default it does not
show you mail you've already read. To say that nearly all other email
clients behave differently is not a complaint, just an observation that
Gnus is more complicated. You cannot make these theoretical
grandparents put up with an excess of complexity and still expect them
to actually *use* the software, unless you're willing to act as
technical support all the time; and even then the barrier may be
unsurmountable. I've learned that you cannot (not should not, but
*cannot*) make people accept complexity except to the extent to which
they are willing.
For nontechnical users like you posit, I would recommend either
Thunderbird or, on a Microsoft platform, Windows Live Mail (or whatever
they're calling it these days). Thunderbird in particular does a pretty
good job of getting in the server info right just by putting in your
email address in the initial startup wizard.
Of course, if they're willing to read docs and spend some time, that's a
different question altogether.
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2013-08-13 17:58 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 37+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2013-08-13 2:54 What's an even easier explanation how to setup gnus Don Saklad
2013-08-13 7:11 ` Thorsten Jolitz
[not found] ` <mailman.3094.1376377917.12400.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>
2013-08-13 14:55 ` Stefan Monnier
2013-08-13 15:41 ` Thorsten Jolitz
[not found] ` <mailman.3131.1376408540.12400.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>
2013-08-13 16:23 ` Stefan Monnier
2013-08-28 9:49 ` Glen Stark
2013-09-02 11:44 ` Thorsten Jolitz
2013-09-02 13:20 ` Jambunathan K
2013-09-02 21:26 ` W. Greenhouse
2013-09-03 12:35 ` Richard Riley
[not found] ` <mailman.1212.1378157299.10748.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>
2013-09-02 22:01 ` Pascal J. Bourguignon
2013-09-03 0:58 ` W. Greenhouse
2013-09-03 2:12 ` Rustom Mody
2013-09-03 2:44 ` W. Greenhouse
2013-09-03 12:36 ` Richard Riley
[not found] ` <mailman.1233.1378176315.10748.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>
2013-09-03 3:56 ` Rustom Mody
2013-09-03 12:38 ` Richard Riley
2013-09-03 14:37 ` Stefan Monnier
2013-09-03 16:44 ` W. Greenhouse
2013-09-03 20:13 ` Jambunathan K
[not found] ` <mailman.1282.1378239114.10748.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>
2013-09-04 3:40 ` Rustom Mody
2013-09-02 13:55 ` Jambunathan K
2013-08-13 17:58 ` Carson Chittom [this message]
2013-08-13 19:01 ` configurable means hard? [was: ... easier explanation how to setup gnus ...] Drew Adams
2013-08-13 20:30 ` Carson Chittom
2013-08-13 21:01 ` Drew Adams
2013-08-14 5:19 ` Yuri Khan
[not found] ` <mailman.3178.1376457548.12400.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>
2013-08-14 5:26 ` Rustom Mody
2013-08-14 14:05 ` Stefan Monnier
[not found] ` <mailman.3159.1376425851.12400.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>
2013-08-14 14:02 ` Stefan Monnier
2013-08-14 14:44 ` Drew Adams
2013-08-14 17:14 ` Rustom Mody
2013-08-16 18:40 ` Ken Goldman
[not found] ` <mailman.188.1376678430.10748.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>
2013-08-17 10:59 ` Rustom Mody
[not found] ` <mailman.3146.1376420497.12400.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>
2013-08-14 3:11 ` Jason Rumney
2013-08-13 20:17 ` What's an even easier explanation how to setup gnus W. Greenhouse
[not found] ` <mailman.3154.1376425093.12400.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>
2013-08-14 3:29 ` Rustom Mody
Reply instructions:
You may reply publicly to this message via plain-text email
using any one of the following methods:
* Save the following mbox file, import it into your mail client,
and reply-to-all from there: mbox
Avoid top-posting and favor interleaved quoting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style
* Reply using the --to, --cc, and --in-reply-to
switches of git-send-email(1):
git send-email \
--in-reply-to=8761v9fp6k.fsf@abbey.wistly.net \
--to=carson@wistly.net \
--cc=help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org \
/path/to/YOUR_REPLY
https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-send-email.html
* If your mail client supports setting the In-Reply-To header
via mailto: links, try the mailto: link
Be sure your reply has a Subject: header at the top and a blank line
before the message body.
Code repositories for project(s) associated with this external index
https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs.git
https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs/org-mode.git
This is an external index of several public inboxes,
see mirroring instructions on how to clone and mirror
all data and code used by this external index.