Re: Emacs vs Scrivener

[Bastien]

Hi Matt,

Matt Price <moptop99@gmail.com> writes:

> - IIUC, one organizing principle of Scriviener is a spatial metaphor:
> "Scrivener is intended to be a kind of “writer’s shed” for those of us
> who don’t have a spare shed."  So drafts are organized as projects
> which are kept in virtual "binders".  I think this metaphorical
> framework is important to its appeal -- it turns your laptop into a
> giant desk on which ou can arrange and rearrange elements of a complex
> text.  The whole interfae is influenced by this metaphor...

One feature that can be implemented for Emacs is this one: bind several
windows together and have some commands act on them all.

For example, if you have a two-windows frame, you can bind these two
windows and run C-s in both of them simultaneously.  Another example:
you could open two dired buffers then run M-% (and `D') in both of them
simultaneously.

This is closer to the concept of a workspace than of virtual binders, 
and it's not straightforward to implement this, but it would be useful.

> - In concert with this, each document -- each piece of a project --
> has both a title and a synopsis, which are represented by an "index
> card"  You cna move index cards around within the project.  I like
> this because sometimes, with a ocmplex piece of writing, it can be
> helpful to look at al the elements and rearrange them in space.  A
> whiteboard is good for this, or scraps of paper on a blank table.
> Org-mode lets you refile headings easily, but the one-dimensional
> ordering isn't as satisfying to me as objects that can be dragged form
> one place to another.

The refile mechanism could be enhance by allowing fuzzy matching of
headlines, and creating those that do not exist in the .org file.
On my todo-list for when I have some time (which is obviously not
anytime soon...)

> What do you think, Bastien?  Is a lot of this already in org-mode?  &
> what kinds of tweaks would be necessary to make the emacs interface
> more tactile-feeling, or anyway spatially intuitive?

I don't know about the spatial metaphor, I'm not familiar enough with
scrivener.  But there is surely room for small improvements tha makes
the Emacs experience even better.

Best,

-- 
 Bastien