Re: Emacs learning curve

[Stephen Eilert]

On Thu, Jul 22, 2010 at 4:56 PM, Wojciech Meyer
<address@hidden> wrote:
> Yes. Cua mode is not a solution. The solution would be a minor mode
> that preserves CUA keys but disables *completely* emacs ones. The mode
> should be easy to toggle and there need to be evident feedback when it
> is on, a screen nagging about advanced features avaiable when you
> switch the mode on. One will have chance to learn new bindigs
> gradually. Wojciech

I'd argue the other way. CUA is not the problem.

There are a few things worth noticing:

1-Emacs discoverability
  It is quite good, once you know how and what to look for.
describe-key, describe-mode, describe-function and apropos are
invaluable. Only beginners won't know how to do such things unless
explicitely told

2- Learning curve
  Pointless. I've been using it for years and I'm still learning. It
would be best to ask: 'what is the minimum skillset to be moderately
productive in everyday text editing?' I can't really answer that, yet.
But I suspect you need very few commands for that.

3- Appearance
  Greatly improved by default on gnome ever since XFT was included. An
ugly editor will put off many people. People tend to equate shiny =
good, even technically informed ones. That's unfortunate, but
unavoidable.
  I'd say Emacs is doing fine. Color-theme should be included by
default and easily accessible IMHO. The only odd thing is really the
modeline but, while it can be intimidating, it is also intriguing.

4- Defaults
  Here's where CUA comes in. Users expect the usual copy and paste
behavior (including the ability to copy and paste among application)
and *will* get completely confused by Emacs' kill-ring. The kill-ring
is nice, but it is not straightforward to explain without visual
feedback.
  Ditto for undo: I myself was confused by it for quite a while.
  My toolbars and menubars are turned off, but I'd say that they need
some cleaning up. After all, menus are where most users will 'hunt'
for features.


--Stephen

Sent from my Emacs