Re: would take more than an org-mode strip-down.

[James Levine <levinejames@me.com>]

I’ll go on leap of faith that the email I’ve been provided actually contributes to the same thread I emailed to earlier. Please everyone: thank you for looking out. This is clearly a thoughtful and supportive community. You can not deny, however, that even the design of this forum is but one example of how the Emacs community maintains its exclusivity. Own up to it. If there’s no problem, then don’t fix it. But for those who are following the statements on comparing org-mode to commercial substitutes like Taskpaper and see this as an outcome of people making less-informed choices, I hope I can keep your attention. Once I know which way to point my eyes, I promise I will fall in line. Please take a step back folks, there’s an implied objective that I’m making which I’ll state more explicitly:

In order for org-mode to be attractive as an alternative to popular self-help like GTD, Covey and the market of task managers both digital and paper that exist, this community would need to take all this extensive documentation and package it. Do not confuse content with transparency. People don’t even read this much before electing their President. Should open-source software not concern itself with good bullet points? Does this imply that I’m not appreciative of the work?  There’s an opportunity cost with finding the time for even this thread, which I’m hoping we can agree should not be a barrier of entry for those who are simply interested in trying org-mode. As it stands, however, just trying org-mode takes lots of reading if just to install correctly. That’s all I’m saying. 

Text is but one way that people learn. If you’re documenting sofware, it leans towards rational, logical, and linear thinking. Some people require a full-picture model first seeing things from many angles. Other’s prefer trial and error, and others, still, enjoy hypotheticals. People can adopt different strategies along the way. But to insist on only one method of learning and sharing, while being concerned that you’re not meeting a larger audience is tantamount to calling the rest of the class stupid, or simply a manner of dishonesty with one’s own motivations.

Maybe what would be helpful is some bridge instruction: “Graduating from Taskpaper: so you’re ready to try org-mode. What to expect:” I do find that if I have an orientation point, even if it wasn’t the best decision in the first place, I have a better reference as to the changes I would envision and what the value of future options would be.

cheers

James
On Sep 28, 2011, at 10:18 AM, Jambunathan K wrote:

James

> Greetings,
> 
> As an expert end-user but outside the computer science field, I’ve
> felt there to be a high cost of entry for working in org-mode. 

This is another perfectly practical way to address the problem that you
are contending to with.

https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-orgmode/2011-04/msg00173.html

Jambunathan K.