Re: IDE

[Dmitry Gutov]

On 10/10/2015 09:58 PM, Eli Zaretskii wrote:

> To me, an IDE is not a set of functionalities.  It's a coherent
> application that provides an IDE-like look-and-feel, and all the
> related functions already integrated and ready for me to be used.
> That includes window-layout, btw, because configuring Emacs windows
> for IDE-like behavior is an exceedingly complex task, one that's
> impossible without good command of ELisp.  Not something I'd offer a
> user whose only wish is to build a project in some language we
> support.

While I agree that working with windows in Emacs is often more trouble 
than it should be, I don't think that offering a fixed layout like ECB 
is the answer: it doesn't anticipate the needs of commands like vc-dir, 
and it doesn't solve all problems anyway.

Rather than that, we should provide more consistent guidelines for 
window behavior, like whether a command should use a new window, reuse 
an existing one, etc, and try harder not to destroy a layout the user 
created. Maybe include a more accessible alternative to winner-mode 
(which is a lifesaver, but is more of a kludge than a user-friendly 
solution).