Re: Convert some files from outline-mode to org-mode

[Alan Mackenzie]

Hello, Kévin.

On Sun, Apr 26, 2020 at 23:54:57 +0200, Kévin Le Gouguec wrote:
> Alan Mackenzie <address@hidden> writes:

> > org-mode is a sledgehammer and the six outline-mode files are mere nuts.
> > The org-mode source files are 100 times as big as outline.el.

> > You do not have to "know" outline-mode to use it.  I certainly don't.
> > It is merely text-mode adorned with a few non-essential commands for
> > navigating via the outlines.  Anybody who can use Emacs at all can use
> > outline-mode.

> > By contrast, org-mode is a monster.  The learning time for org-mode must
> > be non-trivial.

> OTOH,

> - I don't think I will ever manage to remember any of the keybindings
>   for the outline-(show|hide)-… functions, which means I will never be
>   able to use the "selective display" feature advertised in
>   outline-mode's docstring without a cheatsheet.

Neither can I.  When I need it, which is rarely, there's C-h m.

> - With org-mode, I can simply TAB my way through a document without
>   figuring out whether what I want to show/hide are entries, subtrees,
>   children, branches, leaves, sublevels, bodies…

But you can't use TAB to indent a line, or alternatively to insert a tab
character.  And how is a non-specialist user reading NEWS for a new
release going to find out about this TAB binding?

> So, while I agree that org-mode is a sledgehammer for e.g. idly browsing
> NEWS, from a user's point-of-view (at least this user) and to borrow
> your terms, outline-mode "is a monster" with countless esoteric
> keybindings;

There are not "countless" keybindings in outline-mode; there are just 26
defined commands, only some of which will have bindings.  By contrast,
in org-mode there are 798 defined commands.  That's a factor of 30
greater.

> meanwhile, I definitely don't "have to know" org-mode to use it; I
> just mindlessly hit TAB on the thing I want to show/hide.

That may be true up until somebody decides to insert some obscure
org-mode construct into NEWS.  With over 4 magabytes of source code
implementing it, there will be more than a few such constructs.

> As I said in the bug report, to me this looks like a good opportunity to
> provide a friendlier section-cycling command for outline-mode; it
> boggles my mind that outline-toggle-children isn't bound by default.

Maybe it should be.

-- 
Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany).