Re: RTFM Was: M-x goto-line binding

[thi]

   From: jari.aalto@poboxes.com (Jari Aalto+mail.emacs)
   Date: 07 Jan 2001 03:18:58 +0200

   Would tou kindly see it from other perspective too? Could you
   consider changing the *scratch* default buffer? How many of
   you start writing lisp every time you open Emacs? How about
   average user, to whom the Emacs is supposed to be opened out
   of the box?

the whole idea of "average user" is repugnant to me, because every
attempt i've witnessed at defining this bogus concept has resulted in
the kind of narrow back-and-forth we have going here in this thread,
hashed and rehashed since the first venerable Variable.  it's not a
complete waste of time, IMHO, but largely.  grep around for "intuitive
interface" and "nipple"...

anyway, from this i don't see any benefit in hiding the customizability
aspect of emacs.

   I think it would be worth think if a more appropriate buffer
   were *text* in text-mode for one that opens Emacs without
   any .emacs or customisations.

and i think something else.  so now, how do we move forward?

we provide a general customization facility that allows each person to
individually expresses preference, empowering them to translate "i think
blah blah blah" into "i like this, so i DO this".  if you can get your
students to understand this, they will be much better students (and make
your job easier, as i said before) in the medium to long run.

   I can understand that existing user's may not be happym, but 
   I'm confident that they are capable of coping with the change.

   The moral is whom is Emacs still geared to? I would like to see
   more to the "first time user" and to get them started with Emacs.
   Currently I can't, because it's too much something they haven't
   got used to, I'm sorry to report that.

after you get over the "out of the box" and "average user" mindset, you
may wish to package up your preferences to share, as others have done,
w/o worry of what is the default and what Emacs is "geared to".  some
people will surely use your code, especially if you have a captive
audience.  ;->

anyway, i don't have anything else to add besides providing the obvious
forms to recommend in this situation:

  (setq default-major-mode 'text-mode)
  (browse-url "http://www.glug.org/people/ttn/software/ttn-pers-elisp/";)

thi