From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Msuck: nntp://news.gmane.io/gmane.emacs.gnus.user/4158 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Tim McNamara Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.gnus.user Subject: Re: How to set up gnus email for novices with little mastery. Date: Mon, 04 Oct 2004 19:34:24 -0500 Organization: ipHouse Message-ID: References: <5i7jq6cpku.fsf@fencepost.gnu.org> NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1138670133 22068 80.91.229.2 (31 Jan 2006 01:15:33 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 01:15:33 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: nobody Tue Jan 17 17:33:19 2006 Original-Path: quimby.gnus.org!news.ccs.neu.edu!news.dfci.harvard.edu!news.cis.ohio-state.edu!malgudi.oar.net!news.glorb.com!green.octanews.net!news-out.octanews.net!beige.iphouse.net.POSTED!not-for-mail Original-Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.gnus User-Agent: Gnus/5.1006 (Gnus v5.10.6) Emacs/21.3.50 (darwin) Cancel-Lock: sha1:pSjCPA6D1zRoTiuKvbq2vk/sNP8= Original-NNTP-Posting-Date: 04 Oct 2004 19:34:24 CDT Original-X-Complaints-To: abuse@iphouse.net Original-Xref: bridgekeeper.physik.uni-ulm.de gnus-emacs-gnus:4299 Original-Lines: 25 X-Gnus-Article-Number: 4299 Tue Jan 17 17:33:19 2006 Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.gnus.user:4158 Archived-At: Don Saklad writes: > The argument looked arrogant because the whole idea of computer > software technology is to simplify ! No, the whole idea of computer software technology is to enable the performance of tasks that were heretofore cumbersome or difficult. Computers are great at repeating tasks that would drive a human nuts, and rapidly performing time consuming calculations. What you are talking about is actually the human interface aspect of an operating system. The purpose of the interface is to permit the user to operate the software; modern GUI interfaces simplify this dramatically but at the expense of flexibility and power. The Unix command line offers useful abilities that GUIs do not, for example, but takes some actual knowledge rather than an intuitive approach. Operating systems that allow both offer the best of both worlds. Emacs and Gnus are not simple applications. They are extraordinarily powerful, arguably Gnus is the most powerful newsreader/mail client available. Many people do not need all the power at their disposal (I'm one of those, but I use Gnus anyway). I think there are some things that could be done to make it easier on newbies, but by the same token that steep learning curve results in rapid mastery. That's what steep learning curves do.