Re: Changes for emacs 28

[Eduardo Ochs]

So we all want this modern-ish "layer" for Emacs. If I haven't missed
anything, the main ideas on how to activate it are:

  1) it will be the new default, or

  2) it will be toggled by a command-line option like "-m" (btw, is
     this viable on M$ Windows?), or

  3) there will be a button in the splash screen that toggles it,

  4) it can be toggled via Customize,

  5) it can be turned on by a built-in command like M-x
     use-the-new-super-cool-rad-layer.

In my not-so-humble-at-all opinion the recommended way to install this
new layer should START as a progn. The developers' page should say
something like: at this moment the modern-ish layer is still
experimental; to try it copy the 5-line "(progn ...)" below to an
Emacs buffer, put the cursor after the close-parenthesis in the last
line, and type C-x C-e - this will execute the whole (progn ...), and
this will install the super-cool-rad-layer and make it the default:

  (progn (Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetuer adipiscing elit)
     (Ut purus elit vestibulum ut placerat ac adipiscing vitae felis)
     (Curabitur dictum gravida mauris)
     (Nam arcu libero nonummy eget consectetuer id vulputate a magna)
     )

This reminds me of a discussion that happened in February in the Lua
mailing list, about "we need a super-user-friendly distribution of Lua
that comes with all batteries included". In one of my messages to that
discussion - at http://lua-users.org/lists/lua-l/2020-02/msg00036.html
- I said:

  "In my way of seeing things, making a package manager that makes
  developers super-happy [1] is a pre-requisite for [2] having a
  distribution for all OSs including Windows that beginners find easy
  to use. And [1] can be done in 100 or 200 programmer-hours with
  expertise that we already have, while [2] needs 10000000000 hours at
  least, plus black-belt social skills, lots of money to hire external
  people, and luck."

I am very passionate about the idea that in environments like Emacs
"developer-friendly" should come before "user-friendly". If there are
people who insist that even in the development stage we should NEVER
offer the progn-ish way of installing the super-cool-rad-layer I would
be overjoyed to hit them several times with my ten-feet pole.

  Just my 2c, sorry for not being more active here, cheers, etc =),
    Eduardo Ochs
    http://angg.twu.net/emacsconf2019.html

On Sun, 6 Sep 2020 at 19:01, Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org> wrote:
>
> Instead of discussing new, radical defaults (which I don't think are
> going to go anywhere, because annoying older users isn't nice), we could
> just put a button on the opening splash page saying
>
>      Current theme: Classic.  Click HERE to get the super-cool rad one.
>
> And then the HERE could enable whatever the kids these days want, and it
> could be ALL the mod cons.
>
> --
> (domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
>    bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no
>
>