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* Org expert mode?
@ 2011-03-10 10:05 Bastien
  2011-03-10 10:11 ` Bastien
                   ` (6 more replies)
  0 siblings, 7 replies; 21+ messages in thread
From: Bastien @ 2011-03-10 10:05 UTC (permalink / raw)
  To: emacs-orgmode

Hi all,

Org tries to stay as simple/accessible as possible for newbie and as
complete/flexible as possible for power users.

The documentation and the UI are central for this: the documentation
should promote core features, document complex ones, and give pointers
on how to hack Org -- it does that already IMO; the UI should give
access to core features and give hints on complex ones, so that the
user can learn more.

I've just added the ability to run a custom function for bulk agenda
actions (thanks to Puneeth for the patch!)  This is clearly for power
users -- or those who are willing to take the time to find functions
that we might document in Worg.

So I naturally thought of something like an "Org Expert mode": when
turned off, the UI would *not* give access to complex features and
perhaps display more helpful messages on simple ones; when turned on,
Org would have a less verbose UI (think of the C-c C-e window, do we
really want to *read* it all the times?) and give access to all the
complex features.

This is really just a call for ideas/comments -- I wonder if people
already came accross such an idea and and what they think.

I'm myself not convinced: it's a good thing that Org doesn't need an
Expert mode so far, it means newbies are not confused by the UI, and
experts are not frustrated by it either.  But I expect neat features 
can emerge from the discussion.

Thanks for your thoughts!

-- 
 Bastien

^ permalink raw reply	[flat|nested] 21+ messages in thread
* Re: Org expert mode?
@ 2011-03-10 13:12 Rustom Mody
  2011-03-10 13:44 ` Rainer M Krug
  2011-03-10 22:37 ` Christian Moe
  0 siblings, 2 replies; 21+ messages in thread
From: Rustom Mody @ 2011-03-10 13:12 UTC (permalink / raw)
  To: emacs-orgmode

Bastien wrote:
> I've just added the ability to run a custom function for bulk agenda actions (thanks to Puneeth for the patch!)  This is clearly for
> power users -- or those who are willing to take the time to find functions that we might document in Worg.

> So I naturally thought of something like an "Org Expert mode": when turned off, the UI would *not* give access to complex features
> and perhaps display more helpful messages on simple ones; when turned on, Org would have a less verbose UI (think of the C-c C-e
> window, do we really want to *read* it all the times?) and give access to all the complex features.

Org is a large and diverse system and something to help (us perennial
:-) newbies is always welcome.

But I wonder if there are really too many experts as against users
whose patterns of usage are expert in one area and noob in others.
For example consider: Using org for:
* Brainstorming
* GTD, mobile org
* Publishing
* Literate Programming (via babel)
* Statistical analysis (spreadsheet, R)

Is it not likely that most people are going to be expert in (at most)
a few of these and not really expert in the others?

^ permalink raw reply	[flat|nested] 21+ messages in thread

end of thread, other threads:[~2011-03-21  7:25 UTC | newest]

Thread overview: 21+ messages (download: mbox.gz / follow: Atom feed)
-- links below jump to the message on this page --
2011-03-10 10:05 Org expert mode? Bastien
2011-03-10 10:11 ` Bastien
2011-03-10 10:36   ` Rainer M Krug
2011-03-20  2:08     ` Matt Lundin
2011-03-21  7:25       ` Rainer M Krug
2011-03-10 12:38   ` Greg Troxel
2011-03-10 14:14     ` John Hendy
2011-03-10 10:35 ` Filippo A. Salustri
2011-03-10 15:30 ` Julien Danjou
2011-03-10 17:43 ` Scott Randby
2011-03-10 18:46   ` Samuel Wales
2011-03-10 23:46     ` Suvayu Ali
2011-03-10 19:33 ` Robert Pluim
2011-03-10 21:25 ` Joost Helberg
2011-03-10 21:41   ` Eric Schulte
2011-03-10 23:22     ` Bernt Hansen
2011-03-11  8:28 ` Bastien
  -- strict thread matches above, loose matches on Subject: below --
2011-03-10 13:12 Rustom Mody
2011-03-10 13:44 ` Rainer M Krug
2011-03-10 14:11   ` Matthew Sauer
2011-03-10 22:37 ` Christian Moe

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