Re: New start up splash screen annoyance...

[Sascha Wilde]

Richard Stallman <address@hidden> wrote:
>     > Experienced Emacs users generally don't do it anyway.
>
>     Huh?  If I start Emacs, why should I not specify what file I want to
>     edit as an experienced user?
>
> Because nearly always you already have an Emacs running.
> It is a bad idea to teach yourself habits that presume
> you don't have an Emacs running, because that would lead
> you to kill Emacs and restart it, or to start multiple Emacs jobs.

Basically I agree here.  It is worthwhile trying to teach new Emacs
users that one Emacs running is enough (and with the multi-tty stuff
merged in, this is even more true).[0]

BUT there are two reasons why I still think that annoying users when
using the file name argument is no good:

1. New users, having the habit to give the file name on the command
   line should not get the first impression, that Emacs is worse than
   the editors they already know.  It's easier to teach them better
   ways of using Emacs, if they are not annoyed by the first
   encounter.

2. Experienced users, just wanting to edit one file on a machine they
   will leave immediately after this.  In this case giving the file
   name on the command line safes some key strokes, but only if you
   don't have to waste them on getting rid of the nag screen.  I'm a
   system administrator you know, saving key strokes is our Holy
   Grail...

cheers
sascha

[0] btw, a shortcut for `emacsclient -a emacs' would be handy, maybe
    it should be even the default behavior, for it is what one usally
    wants to do: if there is an Emacs running: use it, else: start
    one.
-- 
Sascha Wilde
    "Computers are good at following instructions,
     but not at reading your mind."
    D. E. Knuth, The TeXbook, Addison-Wesley 1984, 1986, 1996, p. 9