Re: Making Emacs more friendly to newcomers

[Dmitry Gutov]

On 22.04.2020 19:45, Stefan Monnier wrote:
> > > 1: VsCode offers on the home screen an option to click on what languages
> > > you want to install support for. This offers a nice one-click shop for
> > > language packs. This, I guess is the same behaviour that Doom/Spacemacs
> > > offers with their layers etc. In Emacs we often have to install
> > > lsp-client, lsp-server, language mode, company, adjust company backends.
> > > It would be nice to have emacs install all of the above automatically
> > > when clicking on Python, JS and such.
> > Agreed.  Stefan has a proof-of-concept package named `gnu-elpa' that
> > does exactly this, and it would indeed be nice if Emacs had that.
> Hmm... no I don't have something that does exactly that.
> It goes a bit in that direction, and I hope it can grow further, but
> currently it doesn't do much more than prompt you to install GNU ELPA
> packages which you attempt to use their features, so it doesn't prompt
> users to install lsp servers or to enable company, ...

I'm not sure it would be right to enable an opinionated behavior like 
that for all users anyway. After all, LSP servers are not the only 
company backends that people use, and there are other completion UIs 
than company.

On the other hand, it would be great to have a short official guide that 
outlines the easiest way to get the "smarts" that people expect from 
code editors. One that's preferably closer to the Tutorial in 
accessibility, rather than the manual.

Posting it on the official website would help as well. This way we would 
make a pledge, of sorts, that *this* approach is supposed to work for 
everybody.