Re: Getting more info on a variable in Customize buffers

[Per Abrahamsen]

"Lennart Borgman" <address@hidden> writes:

> Therefore I believe every piece of
> information we get about how different persons react to this interface is
> important.

Unfortunately, expert users are much more likely to provide feedback
then casual users.  Therefore, free software user interfaces tend to
be "expert friendly", rather then "beginner friendly".  An in
particular, cram way to much information and functionality into the
UI, scaring off beginners and casual users.

Which is fine in general, expert friendly software is very important.
But Emacs has always been expert friendly.  Expert users already have
an excellent interface for customizing Emacs, namely Lisp.  Customize
was supposed to add an *additional* interface in order to make
customization easier for casual users.  Drew Adams feedback seems to
build on the mistaken belief that Customize is the preferred way to
customize Emacs.  Which is far from the truth.  (I'd really like to
know which "Emacs priest" who gave him that belief, so I could explain
that they are spreading false gospel).

I do not believe there are any "preferred way" to customize Emacs.
There are a number of different mechanisms (Lisp, X resources, the
customize group interface, the customize browse interface, the
customize menu interface, The Options menu, edit-options,
set-variable, and customize-set-variable).  None of these are
obsolete.  Well, maybe "edit-options" is.  They are useful in
different situations, to different users.  And they mostly play along
together.