Re: Proposal for an improved `help-for-help'

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Stefan Kangas <stefan@marxist.se>
> Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2021 08:27:02 -0700
> Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org
> 
> Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> writes:
> 
> >> >> +    '(("Getting Help"
> >> >
> >> > I'd use something like "Describe and Find Commands, Keys, Functions".
> >>
> >> That's fine, but it is a bit long.
> >
> > Why is it a problem to be long?
> 
> Keeping it short is in line with common recommendations in UIX design,
> which strongly favours simplicity, in order not to burden the mental
> bandwidth of users with irrelevant detail.

We are talking about short but inaccurate vs longer but more
accurate.  I agree that, all the rest being equal, the shorter the
better, but that's not our case here.

> Having a long headline here weighs the entire screen down, makes it
> harder to read and more intimidating.

I think you exaggerate here a bit.

> > Both "getting Help" and "Basic Help" is too general to be useful, IMO.
> 
> Things will be clear from context.  No one risks being confused by
> "Basic Help" or "Getting Help".

If they will be clear from context, then they are redundant, IMO.

> The main purpose is to give a quick overview of the most commonly used
> commands.

Exactly.  And too-general headings aren't useful for the overview,
because they require one to read what's under them to understand.

> >> Do we need to speak of "top-level menu", or can we get away with the
> >> shorter "Show all installed manuals"?
> >
> > But "show a manual" could be interpreted as displaying the contents of
> > that manual, in which case "show all manuals" makes no sense.
> 
> I don't see how anyone could take "show all manuals" as meaning anything
> other than some kind of _list_ of manuals.

Well, I did.

> How else would they be shown?

"They" being the manuals?  The top-level Info menu doesn't show any
manuals, it only shows their names.

> That said, this is not something I feel is very important.  We can go
> with your preference if you feel strongly about it.

I don't feel strong about it.  You asked for a review, and I provided
one.

Thanks.