Re: Good, easy to use, upstream defaults for zsh (i.e. improving usability)

[Nikolai Weibull <mailing-lists.zsh-workers@rawuncut.elitemail.org>]

Keir Mierle wrote:

> On 7/10/05, Mike Hernandez <sequethin@gmail.com> wrote:

> > On 7/10/05, Keir Mierle <mierle@gmail.com> wrote:

> > Though I'm not a developer, I can't help but reply to this.   I've
> > used many linux distributions, and have built linux from scratch
> > (linuxfromscratch.org). I've also used FreeBSD and OpenBSD, and OS
> > X.  Each comes with it's own set of defaults (apart from LFS which
> > has no default zsh config, due to it's being built directly from
> > source).  Most programs leave any customization to the end user.  If
> > you use zsh with any of the above mentioned OSes you'll find a
> > slightly different set of defaults.

> So what? Did you stop to think for a second, that if the default zsh
> config didn't suck, then the various distributions might use it?
 
How are any of the other shells’ defaults any better?

> > I would prefer, as an end user, that the developers focus their
> > efforts on producing the best possible shell, and leave the
> > customization to us.

> And as an end user, who on occasion tries to evangelize zsh, I would
> prefer if developers spent a a small amount of time making zsh work
> well, by default, most of the time, for most people.
> 
> Me: Try zsh, it rocks.
> Friend: Ok, I got zsh. This prompt sucks. How do I fix it?
> Me: Go get a .zshrc from the net
> Friend: Ok, completion doesn't complete .pdf's for acroread like you
> said it would.
> Me: Go spend hours tweaking your .zshrc.
> Friend: Gah! Why don't they just include this by default?
> Me: Beats me.
> Friend: Screw this, I'm going back to bash. It's available on most
> platforms anyway,
> why go through the pain of copying around my .zshrc?

Same in Bash (for example), no?

I hear what you’re trying to do, but a Z-shell isn’t a fish (wow, that
was a horrible pun),
        nikolai

-- 
Nikolai Weibull: now available free of charge at http://bitwi.se/!
Born in Chicago, IL USA; currently residing in Gothenburg, Sweden.
main(){printf(&linux["\021%six\012\0"],(linux)["have"]+"fun"-97);}