Re: [RFC] Change visibility for bracket links

[Nick Dokos <ndokos@gmail.com>]

Clément Pit--Claudel <clement.pit@gmail.com> writes:

> On 2016-10-10 10:17, Nick Dokos wrote:
>> Clément Pit--Claudel <clement.pit@gmail.com> writes:
>> 
>>> On 2016-10-07 22:38, Adam Porter wrote:
>>>> I understand the motivation for making this change, but I respectfully
>>>> request that this be made configurable.  I much prefer the "clean" links
>>>> without visible brackets, and adding them would seem like a regression
>>>> to me.  I'm guessing that many current Org users would also prefer to
>>>> keep the brackets invisible.
>>>
>>> Adam, what do you think of my earlier suggestion (displaying the
>>> brackets when the pointer is on them, hiding them otherwise? (In the
>>> style of prettify-symbols-mode with unprettify-symbol-at-point)
>>>
>> 
>> I don't particularly care whether the brackets are shown or not, but I
>> dislike things that change the visual appearance as you roll over
>> them. 
>
> Note that by pointer I meant point, not mouse; IOW, pointing on
> something with your mouse would not change anything display-wise.
> I'm not sure what you meant by roll-over.
>

Either mouse-over or "point-over" (to coin a phrase): changing the
visual appearance "explosively" is bad IMO. Subtler changes might be
more acceptable but I think it would require some research and
user-customizable behaviour to satisfy different needs - in short, I'm
not sure it's worth it but as long as I can turn it off, I'm OK with
it: there are plenty of things in org that I've never used, in some
cases consciously, in others because of ignorance, but if somebody
finds them useful and they are not tripping me up constantly, their
existence does not bother me.

>> The web is full of such things and they drive me bananas: you
>> are trying to read something and you roll over something in the text
>> that changes its appearance, possibly shifting the text that you are
>> reading and leaving you to chase it around the page - good bye,
>> concentration.  Even if you do it by just switching visibility on the
>> brackets, it's distracting when you are reading; it might be helpful
>> when composing but I'm not convinced even for that.
>
> Agreed.  I'd be curious to get feedback from users of
> prettify-symbols-mode, too.  And to know whether your objections apply
> as strongly to just revealing the brackets when the point is on them
> (not when they are being moused over)
>

I don't think that's any different: using emacs on the console only allows
"point-over" but if the mechanism is distracting, then I want to be able
to turn it off there too.

-- 
Nick