Hi again, I think those improvements will be nice. As for your question, I would guess that in 90% of the times what scares people away (and creates the urge to turn things off) are the semantic decorations, that 1) are visually very intrusive and 2) come as a complete surprise. I think a lot of users are getting CEDET because it is a requirememnt for JDE and/or ECB - so they may have not read its documentation, assuming it is just a "under-the-covers" library like a parser (which it is) not realizing it has also UI-affecting features. Underlines are also bad because they hide underscores (a small problem that can be annoying sometimes).
Perhaps using the fringe now that Emacs allows you to have more control on what goes there? I think other IDEs (e.g. Eclipse) take that approach, of adding small icons on a left to give you feedback about the code. Just an idea :-) Regards, Nascif > -----Original Message----- > From: Eric M. Ludlam [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2005 8:08 AM > To: Nascif Abousalh-Neto > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; jde@sunsite.dk > Subject: Re[4]: "header line" bugs and artifacts > > Hi, > > Thanks for the input. All I usually see is "What is that > and how to I turn it off?", and after an explanation, "oh, > that's neat." As such, I don't get this perspective. > > I've been fiddling with the header line already. In the > next version, clicking on it will provide a menu with a few > semantic things in it, and a "what is this?" note in it. > > The decorations should probably have an explicit list in a > menu to be turned on and off. > > In the meantime, I will split the default "code-helpers" > install into two sections. The basic code helpers will have > the subtle stuff, and then move stickyfunc and decoration > mode into the existing excessive setup fcn. > > I'll also update the semantic INSTALL file to make it > easier to do a custom setup. > > To be clear, is it just the header line, and semantic > decorations that scare people away, or the whole set of code > helpers including imenu, summary-mode, completion mode, and what-not. > > Thanks > Eric > > >>> "Nascif Abousalh-Neto" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > seems to think that: > >Hi Eric, > > > >This approach can also be overwhelming and frustrating - I > saw it first > >hand with some co-workers, having to stop their work to find out and > >turn off new features they didn't want in the first place. > > > >Another tactic might be to start with the more powerful features > >disabled and provide documentation on them, including screenshots. > >Curious users will find the info and tinker with them, and > spread the > >word in wikis and mailing lists; less sophisticated users won't be > >frustrated with all the colors and extra fontification > getting in their > >way, coming from nowhere, as soon as they install the new > library. They > >might them be more receptive to turn them on later. > > > >Best regards, > > Nascif > > > > > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: Eric M. Ludlam [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> Sent: Saturday, April 23, 2005 8:46 AM > >> To: Felix Dorner > >> Cc: jde@sunsite.dk > >> Subject: Re[2]: "header line" bugs and artifacts > >> > >> Hi, > >> > >> Stickyfunc mode puts the first line of the method/class > that is on > >> the top line of the window into the header line. > >> That way you can always see what function you are working on. > >> It's something I always thought would be useful. > >> > >> The overline is simply a decoration to help divide > different types > >> of tags from eachother in the buffer. I copied the idea from some > >> Java editor I saw a coworker using. > >> It is a part of semantic-decoration-mode. You can > concoct your own > >> decorations with `define-semantic-decoration-style'. > >> > >> I have seen several times that people look at these > things and go > >> "Eeww! What's all this?" and after a little bit change > their minds > >> and think they are useful. > >> > >> You can turn all the "code-helpers" off and suffer no > ill effect. > >> I turn most things on in the default so you get exposed to > them, and > >> can later choose which tools you like and turn off the others. > >> > >> Eric > >> > >> >>> Felix Dorner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> seems to think that: > >> >> > >> >> > >> >>That's the because of semantic stickyfunc mode. Try M-x > >> >>global-semantic-stickyfunc-mode. > >> >> > >> >> > >> > > >> >OK thanks. With that, the header-line disappeared. > >> >I guess it appeared because I have > >> (semantic-load-enable-code-helpers) > >> >(as in the cedet INSTALL file), do I really need this? > >> > > >> >another artifact that appeared yesterday too was an > overline right > >> >above a class body, just like this: > >> > > >> >__________________________ > >> >class TestSocket extends Socket{... > >> > > >> > > >> >and a similar overline right above the main method of that class > >> > > >> >So what are those lines meant for? > >> >Felix > >> > > >> > >> -- > >> Eric Ludlam: [EMAIL PROTECTED], > >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> Home: http://www.ludlam.net Siege: > www.siege-engine.com > >> Emacs: http://cedet.sourceforge.net GNU: www.gnu.org > >> > > >
