Re: Let's make Emacs mainstream (through org-mode)

[Narendra Joshi]

James Lu <jamtlu@gmail.com> writes:

> I would however subscribe to an "Emacs Support" service for a monthly
> fee.
>
> I am short of funds at the moment, so I could only pay $5/month. But
> I'm sure
> other non-students could afford $10/mo or $15/mo for access to support
> on a powerful editor.
>
> Start out small: Have more people than easily sustainable[0]. Then,
> slowly
> automate things by writing documentation and possibly interactive
> tutorials.
> Gather the best.
>
> Thereafter, the service could be run as a SaaSS program that asks you
> questions and returns the correct tutorial, potentially creating a
> revenue
> stream for whoever makes it or GNU/FSF.
>
> [0]: http://paulgraham.com/ds.html

Interesting. Can you share an example task that you would like to have
accomplished/implemented as part of this support service? 

Best regards, 

> On Tue, Dec 15, 2020 at 5:56 PM Christopher Dimech <dimech@gmx.com>
> wrote:
>
>     > Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2020 at 11:22 PM
>     > From: "Karl Fogel" <kfogel@red-bean.com>
>     > To: "James Lu" <jamtlu@gmail.com>
>     > Cc: rms@gnu.org, emacs-devel@gnu.org
>     > Subject: Re: Let's make Emacs mainstream (through org-mode)
>     >
>     > On 15 Dec 2020, James Lu wrote:
>     > >I spent months of my life researching todo app.
>     > >
>     > >Every single todo list app would approximate some person's
>     ideal todo
>     > >list app, but every person complained it was missing one
>     feature they
>     > >needed.
>     > >Emacs org-mode solves this problem.
>     > >
>     > >Either an app had too few buttons or too many buttons.
>     > >Emacs org-mode solves this problem.
>     > >
>     > >Let's stop messing with code.
>     > >
>     > >Let's start hacking.
>     > >
>     > >Clever hacking is doing the impossible.
>     > >Let's start writing GFDL guides and selling them.
>     > >Let's start selling support plans.
>     > >Let's start making Emacs org-mode a hot trend.
>     > >Let's make the website RMS suggested where you can ask
>     questions on
>     > >org-mode, and see public answers.
>     > >
>     > >Who's with me?
>     > 
>     > Org Mode is very powerful, and some of the ideas you list above
>     could be successful.  I encourage you to try them!  But I think
>     asking "Who's with me?" is not a route to making them happen.  As
>     Eli Zaretskii replied to an earlier post of yours back in
>     September [1]:
>     > 
>     >   > Nothing in Emacs gets done because someone asks a "why not
>     do this
>     >   > and that?" question.  We don't have a means to tell some
>     employee to
>     >   > do this and that job.  For a job to get done, someone
>     motivated
>     >   > enough should sit down and do it.  The best candidate for
>     that is
>     >   > whoever raises the issue in the first place, but of course
>     not
>     >   > everyone who proposes something can actually implement it.
>
>     There have been times where discussions led to significant
>     improvements, but mostly 
>     concerned peripheral discussions where many could benefit - e.g.,
>     texinfo output
>     mathematical expressions using Mathjax.  For user specific things,
>     one can get help
>     implementing an idea.  The person raising the problem is almost
>     always more productive
>     when that same person works on it.  Otherwise it would be a gamble
>     that can easily
>     lead to disappointments.     
>
>     > Best regards,
>     > -Karl
>     > 
>     > [1]
>     https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2020-09/msg02110.html
>     
>     > 
>     >
>
>
> I have little experience with Emacs– I can't really implement these on my
> own.
>
> I would however subscribe to an "Emacs Support" service for a monthly fee.
>
> I am short of funds at the moment, so I could only pay $5/month. But I'm
> sure
> other non-students could afford $10/mo or $15/mo for access to support
> on a powerful editor.
>
> Start out small: Have more people than easily sustainable[0]. Then, slowly
> automate things by writing documentation and possibly interactive tutorials.
> Gather the best.
>
> Thereafter, the service could be run as a SaaSS program that asks you
> questions and returns the correct tutorial, potentially creating a revenue
> stream for whoever makes it or GNU/FSF.
>
> [0]: http://paulgraham.com/ds.html
>
> On Tue, Dec 15, 2020 at 5:56 PM Christopher Dimech <dimech@gmx.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> > Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2020 at 11:22 PM
>> > From: "Karl Fogel" <kfogel@red-bean.com>
>> > To: "James Lu" <jamtlu@gmail.com>
>> > Cc: rms@gnu.org, emacs-devel@gnu.org
>> > Subject: Re: Let's make Emacs mainstream (through org-mode)
>> >
>> > On 15 Dec 2020, James Lu wrote:
>> > >I spent months of my life researching todo app.
>> > >
>> > >Every single todo list app would approximate some person's ideal todo
>> > >list app, but every person complained it was missing one feature they
>> > >needed.
>> > >Emacs org-mode solves this problem.
>> > >
>> > >Either an app had too few buttons or too many buttons.
>> > >Emacs org-mode solves this problem.
>> > >
>> > >Let's stop messing with code.
>> > >
>> > >Let's start hacking.
>> > >
>> > >Clever hacking is doing the impossible.
>> > >Let's start writing GFDL guides and selling them.
>> > >Let's start selling support plans.
>> > >Let's start making Emacs org-mode a hot trend.
>> > >Let's make the website RMS suggested where you can ask questions on
>> > >org-mode, and see public answers.
>> > >
>> > >Who's with me?
>> >
>> > Org Mode is very powerful, and some of the ideas you list above could be
>> successful.  I encourage you to try them!  But I think asking "Who's with
>> me?" is not a route to making them happen.  As Eli Zaretskii replied to an
>> earlier post of yours back in September [1]:
>> >
>> >   > Nothing in Emacs gets done because someone asks a "why not do this
>> >   > and that?" question.  We don't have a means to tell some employee to
>> >   > do this and that job.  For a job to get done, someone motivated
>> >   > enough should sit down and do it.  The best candidate for that is
>> >   > whoever raises the issue in the first place, but of course not
>> >   > everyone who proposes something can actually implement it.
>>
>> There have been times where discussions led to significant improvements,
>> but mostly
>> concerned peripheral discussions where many could benefit - e.g., texinfo
>> output
>> mathematical expressions using Mathjax.  For user specific things, one can
>> get help
>> implementing an idea.  The person raising the problem is almost always
>> more productive
>> when that same person works on it.  Otherwise it would be a gamble that
>> can easily
>> lead to disappointments.
>>
>> > Best regards,
>> > -Karl
>> >
>> > [1] https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2020-09/msg02110.html> >
>> >
>>

-- 
Narendra Joshi