From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Juri Linkov Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: New start up splash screen annoyance... Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2007 02:48:27 +0300 Organization: JURTA Message-ID: <87k5qze7xe.fsf@jurta.org> References: NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1189384162 3779 80.91.229.12 (10 Sep 2007 00:29:22 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:29:22 +0000 (UTC) Cc: wilde@sha-bang.de, emacs-devel@gnu.org To: rms@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Mon Sep 10 10:29:08 2007 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1IUeKS-0000wx-Nv for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 10 Sep 2007 10:09:09 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1IUWq5-0002b4-Rc for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sun, 09 Sep 2007 20:09:17 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1IUWpc-0002On-Ic for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 09 Sep 2007 20:08:48 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1IUWpa-0002Mr-Te for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 09 Sep 2007 20:08:48 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1IUWpa-0002MW-N3 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 09 Sep 2007 20:08:46 -0400 Original-Received: from relay02.kiev.sovam.com ([62.64.120.197]) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS-1.0:DHE_RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:32) (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1IUWpV-0004sx-Ra; Sun, 09 Sep 2007 20:08:42 -0400 Original-Received: from [83.170.232.243] (helo=smtp.svitonline.com) by relay02.kiev.sovam.com with esmtp (Exim 4.67) (envelope-from ) id 1IUWpK-0007lQ-J9; Mon, 10 Sep 2007 03:08:39 +0300 In-Reply-To: (Richard Stallman's message of "Sun\, 09 Sep 2007 16\:07\:02 -0400") User-Agent: Gnus/5.11 (Gnus v5.11) Emacs/23.0.50 (gnu/linux) X-Scanner-Signature: f216f799903dddc2f9accd11d8a1fded X-DrWeb-checked: yes X-SpamTest-Envelope-From: juri@jurta.org X-SpamTest-Group-ID: 00000000 X-SpamTest-Header: Not Detected X-SpamTest-Info: Profiles 1448 [September 7 2007] X-SpamTest-Info: helo_type=3 X-SpamTest-Info: {HEADERS: header Content-Type found without required header Content-Transfer-Encoding} X-SpamTest-Method: none X-SpamTest-Rate: 10 X-SpamTest-Status: Not detected X-SpamTest-Status-Extended: not_detected X-SpamTest-Version: SMTP-Filter Version 3.0.0 [0255], KAS30/Release X-Detected-Kernel: FreeBSD 4.8-5.1 (or MacOS X 10.2-10.3) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:78367 Archived-At: > I would like to have the old behavior back: if a file name was given > on the command line the user definitely wants to edit that file, and > so any editing/movement/redraw command should switch to that files > buffer immediately. > > I changed this because I want beginners to see the splash screen, > and beginners often have the habit of passing a file name. Most beginners start Emacs from a menu on modern desktop environments nowadays. Beginners that manage to start Emacs from the command line with a file name are smart enough to figure out where to find the necessary help. Due to a good established convention that the Help menu on the right side of the menu bar contains menu items that help learning the program, this is how most users get acquainted with a new program. Furthermore, since now the About screen shares much help information with the startup screen (links to the Emacs tutorial, Emacs Guided Tour, etc.), any beginner can now find this information. So even a very small percent of beginners started Emacs with a file name will be able to get help. OTOH, the current behavior is very annoying for all non-beginners. This is like visiting a Web site where the first page displays a big Flash screen, and only clicking on a special link proceeds to the main page. I never visit such sites because this is very annoying. It's a pity that Emacs does the same. In summary, displaying the startup screen when the user requests to display a file does more harm than good. > In case people don't agree on that, the splash > screen should at least mention how to enter the buffer. > > That is a good point. We should make this easier. Maybe typing SPC > on the splash screen should bury or kill it. Also, we should say how > to do this, if we can fit it in. It is not a question what key is better to type to get rid of the startup screen. It is the fact that the user explicitly requested visiting a file but instead of this Emacs displays the screen that the user have already seen thousand times. -- Juri Linkov http://www.jurta.org/emacs/