Re: Test Alternative initialize scheme

[Emanuel Berg]

Tim Johnson wrote:

> I use an .emacs.d directory with init.el.
> I'm contemplating making a permanent move for
> this directory so that I can try out
> alternative configurations such as spacemacs.
> It might also reduce clutter at the top-level
> of /home/$USER/ I can't tell from reading the
> instructions for setting spacemacs that it
> would be as easy to put the spacemacs
> configuration in a different location.
>
> [...]
>
> Comments? Caveats? thanks

Yes, it is almost always a bad idea to move
something that already is in its right place.
This applies to the computer as well as the
physical world. If you've always had a handsaw
on a hook on a wall, don't put it anywhere else
just because you now have a chainsaw! Instead,
find yet another "right place", only this time
for - you guessed it - the chainsaw.

To have "top-level clutter" in your home dir is
nothing to be ashamed or bothered about. It the
right place for init files of all kinds.
You can configure ls in different ways to
show/not show them, tho. And here we stumble
upon rule number two - the interface. So even
tho one is forbidden to change sound technology
just because it doesn't "look" right, one is
unrestricted to change the interface, or view,
so that you don't want to see, isn't shown.
Interestingly, if one does that long enough,
when one temporarily disables the interface, to
see everything you once didn't want to see, it
doesn't look wrong anymore! It looks right.
But you might still want to switch back to the
interface as that looks even better :)

But OK, you have two versions of Emacs. So have
all config files in your home dir, separated,
for each version. If they read the same init
file, I'd recommend a branch (`if' clause) to
find out what version in particular, version A,
OK `load-file' these files, version B,
`load-file' the other files. I.e., the common
init file will just be a gateway and then
you'll have everything separated.

-- 
underground experts united
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573