Re: "Why is emacs so square?"

[Richard Stallman]

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  > Is there any reason not to improve the default look?

1. It will take work.

2. The code to interface Emacs to X-based GUIs needs rewriting by an
expert, and has needed it for decades.  Until it gets that rewrite,
changes in it are likely to break something.

3. We may not have any developers who are experts on that area
and capable of doing any changes well.

    > Graphical design elements can also improve usability.

I won't argue with that -- but I have a feeling that the changes
that would help are deeper issues than the shape of corners.

  >   For example, I've always
  > assumed that many people use Sublime Text not due to any serious
  > feature comparison with Emacs, but because they like its "sleek look".

Perhaps that is true.  Or perhaps its graphical interface is
substantively more natural than that of Emacs.  In Emacs, our
graphical interface is constrained by historical compatibility
and making it more natural is difficult.

Another question about them: are they among the segment of users for
whom the investment of learning Emacs would pay off?


-- 
Dr Richard Stallman
Chief GNUisance of the GNU Project (https://gnu.org)
Founder, Free Software Foundation (https://fsf.org)
Internet Hall-of-Famer (https://internethalloffame.org)