Re: org-adapt-indentation default should be nil [legibility 3/6]

[Adam Porter <adam@alphapapa.net>]

Texas Cyberthal <texas.cyberthal@gmail.com> writes:

> #+begin_src elisp
> (org-adapt-indentation nil)
> #+end_src
>
> Adaptive indentation makes sense when using Org as a plain-text
> database. It does not make sense when using Org for longform prose.
>
> In the former case, outline depth is important to reflect properties
> such as inheritance. The code elements are primary and the prose
> secondary.
>
> In the latter case, the primary payload is the prose. Gratuitously
> indenting it wastes screen space and requires the user to make layout
> adjustments for legibility. The extra information value of indentation
> reflecting outline depth is negligible; the heading already conveys
> it.
>
> Beginners are bad at making adjustments to keep heavily-indented prose
> legible. Thus the default should be nil.

I think you have a better case for changing this setting.  However, I
think there is another consideration: the default settings do not put
blank lines between headings and their entry text, and without any
indentation, headings and entry text on varying levels tends to blend
together, making for very poor readability.  Disabling this setting
would make this problem worse.

Generally, I don't think "beginners are bad at" is a good argument for
changing defaults.  No one is "good at" Emacs and Org when they first
come to it.  There's probably room for improving the defaults, but we
should not necessarily make changes based on guessing what brand-new
users are most likely to want.  Emacs and Org are, thankfully, generally
free from the trend of aiming software at those who have never used it
before.  Instead, it tends to call users to learn more and aspire to
mastery, which is more useful and empowering in the long run.