Re: enriched-mode and switching major modes.

[Oliver Scholz]

Stefan Monnier <address@hidden> writes:

>> It is basically as you said: you express your intents.  But rather
>> than doing this via a command or markup language, you do it by
>> interacting with a UI.
>
> It's a false dichotomy: Emacs on a tty is a UI.
> I guess what you mean to say here is that rather than representing the
> intent as text you'd represent it somehow graphically.

This is nitpicking.  By UI I meant to say that you issue a command M-x
set-the-type-of-this-paragraph.  Or hit `C-u 4 C-c C-i'
(indent-this-paragraph).  Or click on the "Make this italic" button in
the tool bar.  Or whatever.  Since things like this can be---and in
fact are---provided by modes for editing your "deep representation",
you might say that the difference is that this is the /only/ way to
express your intent.  The point is that you express your intent while
not caring about the particular encoding.

[...]
>> This abstracts your intent from a specific file format ("deep
>> representation").
>
> So you don't actually get to see the abstract representation, even though
> that's really what you're editing.  I.e. you're still editing somewhat
> blind-folded.

"somewhat blind-folded" is a vast exaggeration.

> You're trying to strike a balance between WYSIWYG and plain text.

I can not parse that sentence.  It makes absolutely no sense to me.

>> The benefit is that you do this while looking at the "surface
>> expression".
>
> With something like WhyzzyTeX I get to edit while seeing (rather than
> "looking at") the surface expression.

I think I already understood that you like this way of editing.  Now,
it seems that I also have to understand that in your view this is the
Only True Way of Editing.

Do you really think, that /I/ or anybody else who wants "word
processing" in Emacs would be content with WhyzzyTeX-style functionality?

A gedankenexperiment: Suppose we have the inverse of WhizzyTeX: you
edit the visual appearance WP-style and Emacs would constantly update
the encoded document in a read-only buffer and show it in another
window.  Would /you/ be content with that?  Well, /I/ would like it,
though I'd probably hit C-x 1.

O.k. more precise rephrasing: the benefit is that all editing actions
take place in a buffer that only shows the "surface expression".


    Oliver
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