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 7/11/05, Nikolai Weibull
> <mailing-lists.zsh-workers@rawuncut.elitemail.org> wrote:

> > Keir Mierle wrote:

> > > On 7/11/05, Nikolai Weibull
> > > <mailing-lists.zsh-workers@rawuncut.elitemail.org> wrote:

> > > > Keir Mierle wrote:

> > > > > 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?

> > > They're not. They're just as awful. This all the more reason to do
> > > one better.  Do you think Google, when creating Google Maps, said
> > > 'Yahoo maps and MapQuest can't pan without refreshing, why should
> > > we?' No, instead they said 'Hey, we can do something really useful
> > > the competition doesn't.'

> > Map applications on the Internet have been around 3-5 years, shells
> > 40-45?  What I'm saying is that it seems hard to come up with good
> > defaults for shells.

> Doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

And that's not what I'm saying.

> > > Exactly. Bash is just as bad. Which is precisely why we should do
> > > one (or two) better. Which is what we have to do to convince most
> > > people to switch-- the barrier is higher for zsh because it is not
> > > installed on most machines.

> > Yes, but then "bad" defaults doesn't explain why people are using
> > Bash over Zsh.

> Sure it does. Bash ships by default with most unix/linux installs.
> That's enough momentum to stop most people from switching. Look at the
> trouble Mozilla has had denting IE's marketshare with firefox; the
> pre-installed advantage is enormous. Firefox is way better, by
> default, and it's still having trouble!

No it doesn't; it doesn't explain why Bash ships by default with most
unix/linux installs.  The reason for Bash being the default is that it
is GNU software and that it is closer, in a sense, to the old /bin/sh
than Zsh is.

Firefox has surely made a dent in internet explorers marketshare, but I
know what you're saying,
        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);}