RE: Icicles [was: shell command completion gone]

[Drew Adams]

> bundle-0. All keys behave as in vanilla emacs; icicles functionality
> available in a standard place such as a menu

That's command `icy-mode': turns Icicles on (and off).

> bundle-1. A few key (sorry for the pun) concepts are understood and
> their corresponding keys are bound; but ONLY those keys

(setq icicle-touch-pas-aux-menus              t
      icicle-top-level-key-bindings           nil
      icicle-redefine-standard-commands-flag  nil)

Just use completion normally: TAB, RET (~ vanilla Emacs).

Later, try candidate cycling if you want.
Try `C-M-mouse-2' for help on a candidate, if you want.
Try substring completion (`S-TAB') if you want.

IOW, start with vanilla behavior; explore Icicles by experimenting with features
as slowly as you like.  There's nothing dangerous here.

There should be nothing confusing if you don't use keys you wouldn't normally
use in the minibuffer anyway.

> bundle-2. More concepts and more keys
> Stop at 3 or 4! [And thats not factorial!]

Au choix.  You don't need a bundle to activate a few keys.

(setq icicle-touch-pas-aux-menus  t)

Or just add back a few of the default keys to `icicle-top-level-key-bindings'.
Experiment with the ones you added before moving on.

> That is to say you need people like Le and Prad (and hopefully myself)
> as control-points

Yes, any maintainer/developer would be lost without user feedback.  Many users
have helped Icicles along the way, and I and other users appreciate it.

> on the learning-bezier-curve.

IMO, Icicles can help with both the Emacs learning curve and the Icicles
learning curve.  Believe it or not...