From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Jan Synacek Subject: hint: Run `guix search ... | less' to view all the results Date: Sun, 26 Apr 2020 09:59:33 +0200 Message-ID: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Return-path: Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:470:142:3::10]:57844) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1jScCi-0002DZ-6R for guix-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 26 Apr 2020 03:59:56 -0400 Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1jScCh-000176-4s for guix-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 26 Apr 2020 03:59:55 -0400 Received: from us-smtp-delivery-1.mimecast.com ([207.211.31.120]:34045 helo=us-smtp-1.mimecast.com) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:256) (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1jScCg-00013U-Jx for guix-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 26 Apr 2020 03:59:54 -0400 Received: from smtp.corp.redhat.com (int-mx08.intmail.prod.int.phx2.redhat.com [10.5.11.23]) (using TLSv1.2 with cipher AECDH-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by mimecast-mx01.redhat.com (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 5361A45F for ; Sun, 26 Apr 2020 07:59:46 +0000 (UTC) Received: from jsynacek-ntb.brq.redhat.com (unknown [10.40.192.17]) by smtp.corp.redhat.com (Postfix) with ESMTPS id A0B052657D for ; Sun, 26 Apr 2020 07:59:45 +0000 (UTC) List-Id: "Development of GNU Guix and the GNU System distribution." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: guix-devel-bounces+gcggd-guix-devel=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org Sender: "Guix-devel" To: guix-devel@gnu.org Hello, I'm going to give honest feedback, since I still care about some things. I decided to check the new guix-1.1.0 and one of the first things that I ra= n was: $ guix package -s firefox The resulting message was infuriating to say the least. The code says: (if (and (not (getenv "INSIDE_EMACS")) ... ... (display-hint (format #f (G_ "Run @code{~a ... | less} \ to view all the results.") command))) Seriously? Are you seriously forcing your users to either run emacs (or at = least to set the env variable) or use pipes to get the entire search result?=20 That's just... backwards. Also, it feels like as if the author of that code= sort of assumed that whoever runs the command is stupid enough not to be able to= deal with long output. I'm sure that it wasn't meant like that. Pretty please, fix this. Don't force your users into usage patterns that mi= ght be completely foreign to them. Don't truncate output from programs by defau= lt. There is a thread on guix-devel [1] titled "Medium-term road map". It conta= ins: > What would you like to see? and > ... Here are the areas I hope to focus on (and > embarking as many of you as possible ... and > ... User interface. Let=E2=80=99s get our act together with =E2=80=98gui= x shell=E2=80=99 and > =E2=80=98guix run-script=E2=80=99, and let=E2=80=99s address other an= noyances that > newcomers keep stumbling upon! ... I'm selectively quoting parts that I consider lead to the same direction - = more guix users and possibly developers. Here's my suggestion: Don't make idiosyncratic decisions like the one I described above. I don't think that your target audience is people complete= ly new to linux-like systems. I'm definitely not new. And I'm used to tools th= at just simply (remember the KISS principle?) give me output when I run them. Please, keep making guix (and guile) a great tool. [1] https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/guix-devel/2020-04/msg00400.html Regards, Jan