Re: [emacs-wiki-discuss] Planner too complicated? =|

[Raimund . Kohl]

Christopher Allan Webber <address@hidden> wrote:

> Unfortunately, planner-mode inherits a high learning code from emacs.
> As it stands currently, emacs is not an editor which you can just pick
> up and go the first time.  (Or, at least, not in my experience.)
> 
> Installing planner mode and setting it up, unfortunately, requires
> putting a bunch of stuff in your .emacs to get it working right.
> While I don't percieve that as bad, it certainly slows down the
> learning time.
> 
> A solution might be a script which makes a ~/Planner/ directory and
> appends some of the basic configuration to get planner running to
> one's .emacs.  This, accompanied with a simple "quickstart" tutorial,
> might get users playing around with it faster.
> 

Well, tell me that I am wrong but with Debian you do have this already,
right?  All one needs is (require 'planner) in .emacs and that's it for
the beginning.  And, AFAIK, also a Quickstart tutorial is available.

But I think you are right with this learning curve - in a way.

I once ran a little store with lots of small items to buy.  One day a
flower reseller walked in and asked if I wouldn't want to sell flowers
too.  And I aggreed with that.  So he left a bunch of flower
arrangements and I took them out in front of the shop, tagged them with
price labels ... and became aware of two elderly women watching me from
nearby.  The one woman asked the other one: "Does he now sell flowers
too?"  The other woman shook her head, being like a business expert.
"No," she responded, "I guess one of his family members had had
birthday!"  ... Have you words?!  :-)

However, this experience told me much about the thinking processes of
people.  I guess all of us here on this list realy are experts in using
emacs ... we are accustomed to the "emacs thinking", so to say.  Others
new to this "thingy" aren't.  So I think, honestly, there isn't much we
can do about presenting planner in a "lighter" fashion for newbies
... even though I think planner is may be the best tool I came across
concerning task and time and even project management ... also BECAUSE it
exists in the heart of emacs and is therefor highly customizable in
whatever direction wanted.

I hope to not appear too pessimistic ... ? :-)

However, there is hope.  I remember Hans Hass, one of the first
professional divers, telling a reporter about the learning curve of
people who wanted to dive.  He said, "the most problems always have
people who want to learn "how to dive". All other people, scientists,
biologists, etc, all those guys who need to get underwater and work
there, they learn it within an hour" ... :-) I think all people who are
about having better work results due to better self-organization and
work-organization will learn planner real quick.

My two cents ;-)

ray


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                         Raimund Kohl-Füchsle
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