Re: A proposal for a friendlier Emacs

[Jean Louis]

* Nicola Manca <nicola.manca85@gmail.com> [2020-09-17 04:50]:
> Dear all,
> 
> following the recent discussions about a startup wizard and modern-mode I
> try to provide a suggestion.
> 
> What about having a startup screen, opening only if no .emacs or other user
> configuration file is found just saying (the text is just an example):
> 
> Welcome!
> This is the first time you run Emacs, please choose how to proceed:
> 
> [] Go Vanilla!
>   (standard defaults, no customizations)
> 
> [] Start Configuration Wizard
>   (set-up your .emacs configuration file interactively)
> 
> [] Try Emacs in enhanced-mode
>   (run with a predefined configuration showing emacs potential)
> 
> After this screen, the normal Emacs splash screen could me
> presented.

No please.

I would not like that be included in Emacs. I am installing so many
times Emacs, I need no installation wizards, finally if it is proposal
for "new users" then nothing will help but reading tutorials, as words
such as "startup screen" would mean nothing special to such user. User
reads description of a package, and finds out it is text editor, so
expects to edit text, and not to think of defaults.

How would new user know what are "standard defaults"?! I do not find it 
friendlier.

Why a new user need to think of "customizations"?! I cannot see it is
friendlier. Emacs as such now is very friendly software.

Why would "Configuration Wizard" be friendlier? I don't find it
friendlier, especially considering that more citizens in many
countries find words like "wizard" not appealing, due to their
beliefs.

Sorry I cannot see how interactive setup would make it friendlier, as
that brings users to learn to walk through the interactive setup,
action alone is making it harder, not friendlier. Person is faced with
difficulties, yet installed a text editor.

What would mean "enhanced mode" under supposedly friendlier approach,
I do not know. I would think that each person likes enhanced modes, be
it for this or that, and I do not know why it should run with
predefined configuration and cannot see how is it friendlier.

I find it very friendly on *GNU Emacs* buffer:

Welcome to GNU Emacs, one component of the GNU/Linux operating system.

Emacs Tutorial          Learn basic keystroke commands
Emacs Guided Tour       Overview of Emacs features at gnu.org
View Emacs Manual       View the Emacs manual using Info
Absence of Warranty     GNU Emacs comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY
Copying Conditions      Conditions for redistributing and changing Emacs
Ordering Manuals        Purchasing printed copies of manuals

Most friendly feature is that Emacs Tutorial is offered as
first. Nothing else matters.

To make Emacs friendlier, one could make more translations of the
tutorial and include maybe additional Tutorials, I do believe that
people like to learn.

Tutorial works well, I have given Emacs to staff members who after
short time could already start translating from English to local
languages.

And I am accessing Emacs so many times without .emacs, so I do not
know why should I be faced with blocks in the workflow.

-- 
Thanks,
Jean Louis