Re: elisp: Text-based file-chooser

[Tim X <timx@nospam.dev.null>]

suvayu ali <fatkasuvayu+linux@gmail.com> writes:

> On Sun, Jan 2, 2011 at 3:23 PM, Richard Riley <rileyrg@googlemail.com> wrote:
>>> Tried it and found it got in the way as often as it was helpful. Tweaked
>>> and forced myself to use it for two months and then turned it off - best
>>> thing I ever did.
>>
>> What kind of things got in the way? That said, there is ONE things that
>> niggles me, sometimes when I type a file name it seems to go find it in
>> another directory. but not always.... A bug I fancy but I cant pinpoint
>> it.
>>
>
> I had problems when using with tramp over ssh. Also on systems with
> very large number of users, going to some one else's shared folder
> posed a huge problem. Emacs would hang as ido attempted to look for
> possible completions. I also felt although finding existing files was
> easier, creating new ones was very clunky. But then I tried it quite a
> while back, and I didn't really try to customise anything.

I had similar experiences and I did try customizing various things. From
memory (around 2 years ago when I tried it) it caused frustration and
got in the way when using tramp, frequently caused problems when trying
to create a new file because I would forget to C-u, was much slower when
you know the exact path and filename than just normal find-file and I
vaguely remember it alsomodifying other behavior I didn't want changed
in other areas. 

My feeling was that for the way I work, it offered no real benefit - the
cases where it did make life easier were the exception rather than the
norm. For one thing, I don't tend o use find file to search/browse for a
file. I tend to use find file to open a file I know exists or create a
new file. I may want simple completion on the filename, but existing
mechanisms work fine. When I want to browse the file system, I find
dired has everything I need. 

It obviously works for many and thats great, but different strokes for
different folks. 

Tim

-- 
tcross (at) rapttech dot com dot au