Re: How to get rid of *GNU Emacs* buffer on start-up?

[Nikolaj Schumacher]

Xah Lee <xah@xahlee.org> wrote:

> After a while coming back to your message, i think i got it. You mean,
> basically, the Cmd key's function on the mac is roughly equivalent to
> Windows's Ctrl. So, Ctrl+n doesn't actually crate a new something, it
> is actually Cmd+n. Ctrl+n on the mac in fact does nothing in most
> browsers.
>
> Is that what you are saying? It's quite silly you know?

You're looking at my note from the wrong direction.

First of all, we need to clear something up:  Ctrl+n on the mac does in
fact do something.  It moves the cursor to the next line in many apps.
That includes browsers (I've tested Firefox, Safari and Camino).

Ctrl+d, Ctrl+p, Ctrl+f, Ctrl+b, Ctrl+a, Ctrl+e and Ctrl+k work as well.

> Similarly, in our context, when i say Ctrl+n is a standard or
> familiar with most software users, you can't argue that Mac is a
> exception just because it uses Cmd instead of Ctrl.

My argument goes the other way around.

I'm not saying Ctrl+n for "new thing" is not standard.  I'm just saying
that Ctrl+n for "next line" is /also/ a standard, even if less common.
(But more common than 0.01%, even in browsers)

Clearly those two clash, except on the Macs, where one of them was
conveniently moved to another modifier.  It's not silly to bring that up,
because it shows that both standards have /some/ relevance in modern
systems.

I hope you're getting what I'm saying.  It's not that I don't associate
Ctrl+n with "new window" (just because it's Cmd+n on my Mac), it's that
I somewhat associate it with both commands.  The same goes for a bunch
of other people, who aren't "cave-dwelling, text-browser-using tech
geekers".

Of course, there's nothing wrong with picking "new thing" for Ctrl+n,
because it's (by far) the most popular choice.  But you can't simply
dismiss the other meaning as obscure, especially not given Emacs' current
audience, where the "next line" interpretation is arguable more common
than anywhere else.



regards,
Nikolaj Schumacher