Re: Initial splash screen

[Stephen Berman]

On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 22:09:29 +0200 David Kastrup <address@hidden> wrote:

> Stephen Berman <address@hidden> writes:
>
>> On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 13:43:01 +0200 David Kastrup <address@hidden> wrote:
>>
>>>                       and starting Emacs without a filename gives
>>> us a frame where nothing useful can be displayed yet.
>>
>> Well, that's what being debated in the thread I forked off of; many
>> people do find an initial *scratch* buffer useful.
>
> The initial *scratch* buffer is useful for _writing_ (which will
> obliterate the splash screen just fine).  An initial _file_ buffer in
> contrast, is supposed to be useful for _reading_, and one can't start
> reading as long as the splash screen is blocking the reading.

Well, it does go away automatically.  Anyway, that's what
inhibit-splash-screen is for (in the current design, i.e.,
notwithstanding the reservations you express below).  All my
suggestion adds is the opportunity to immediately set the inhibition
for future invocations.

>>> So there is no point in not showing the splash screen indefinitely
>>> if we are called without file name.
>>
>> If by `indefinitely' you mean upon every invocation, again, the
>> point is the same as the reason for having inhibit-splash-screen,
>> whose effect is not constrained to starting Emacs with a file name.
>
> Which is a mistake in my book: people have reported the habit of just
> starting another Emacs without file name if they find themselves in
> want of reading up on the splash screen.  Having inhibit-splash-screen
> not able to discriminate between the with-file and without-file
> invocation takes away this expedience.

Emacs 22 does away with the need for such expedience; the user just
has to learn to do Help->About Emacs.

>>> But _with_ a file name, the situation is different, and we should
>>> cater for it differently.
>>
>> I don't see such a difference: the information in the splash screen
>> should be learned even if a user always starts Emacs with a file
>> name (and once the information is learned, the splash screen need
>> not appear any more, even if you start Emacs without a file name).
>
> You are assuming a perfect memory.

I don't think I'm assuming any more than what inhibit-splash-screen
assumes.  And again, now there's always Help->About Emacs.

Steve Berman