activating features

Am 27.01.2012 04:12, schrieb François Pinard:
> Andreas Röhler<email address hidden> writes:
>
>> [...] we should let the user decide, what features to use: ipython or
>> not, pdbtrack or pydb, which completion, refactoring, which checks and
>> tests etc.
>
> As a general principle, users should have full control. However, if a
> user did not explicitly activate or inhibit features, python-mode should
> ideally check what's available and auto-configure itself while starting,
> in the most advantageous way possible for the user.
>
> Users should not have to explicitly turn on configuration switches to
> raise below some minimal configuration. The default python-mode
> behaviour should be on the side of the user rather than minimalism. If
> some use happens to not like an available feature which python-mode
> decide to be a desirable one, (s)he should turn it off explicitly.
>
> Just an example, by default, python-mode should have an *opinion* about
> the best way to auto-complete, and activate the *best* way possible,
> given what's has been installed besides python-mode. Of course, *best*
> is extremely debatable. Another example : I would consider that
> hideshow or highlight-indentation are desirable. Opinions may differ,
> and we cannot at the same time please me, you and everybody. Yet,
> python-mode should at least have an opinion.
>
> Not activating things, as a way to stay neutral and avoiding the
> expression of any opinion, does not serve the average python-mode user,
> who would prefer something as interesting as possible, by default,
> without having anything to do on the configuration side.
>
[ ... ]
> Python users do not necessarily want to know that much about Emacs. There is a
> quite a long way between starting Emacs to edit Python code, and knowing
> about Emacs variables, discovering M-x functions like describe-variable
> (there are so many of these functions, and so many ways to get help),
> and load-path details.
>
> To develop python-mode, knowing Emacs more deeply is inescapable. To use
> python-mode, we should expect about nothing from user knowledge about
> Emacs Lisp.

> François