From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Adam Porter Subject: Re: org-adapt-indentation default should be nil [legibility 3/6] Date: Tue, 04 Feb 2020 01:21:14 -0600 Message-ID: <87sgjqyg0l.fsf@alphapapa.net> References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Return-path: Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:470:142:3::10]:49045) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1iysWW-00038m-BX for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Tue, 04 Feb 2020 02:21:29 -0500 Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1iysWV-0003Zz-7m for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Tue, 04 Feb 2020 02:21:28 -0500 Received: from ciao.gmane.io ([159.69.161.202]:53042) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS1.0:RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:32) (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1iysWV-0003Ug-06 for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Tue, 04 Feb 2020 02:21:27 -0500 Received: from list by ciao.gmane.io with local (Exim 4.92) (envelope-from ) id 1iysWP-000DBk-N0 for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Tue, 04 Feb 2020 08:21:21 +0100 List-Id: "General discussions about Org-mode." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-orgmode-bounces+geo-emacs-orgmode=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org Sender: "Emacs-orgmode" To: emacs-orgmode@gnu.org Texas Cyberthal 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.