You are trying very niche plugins then... my experience has been superb for almost 10 years now. Recently I started using LazyVim by folke which I think is a really polished experience as well. Worth trying out if you don't like the regular plugin workflow.
That name rings a bell, I recall trying it but I’ll give it another go next time I find myself opening vsc, cheers!. Most of the time I just use VSCode as a visual debugger but it’d be nice to make minor changes without making typos due to vim-brain muscle memory.
Edit: just looked up LazyVim and it seems to just be a prebuilt neovim config atop the VSCode-Neovim extension which was one of the aforementioned janky experiences (IIRC undo stack wasn’t shared with VSCode and would get out of sync). I think I tried it as a last ditch effort because someone else said that it’ll fix VSCode-Neovim plugin deficiencies but I ended up just going back to my simple but effective neovim config and using VSCode as a visual debugger. I’ll give it another go if you reckon it’s much better though.
Yeah, no, that's a pale imitation that only addresses the one specific example given. But, like, how would you even know what target formats are supported? Break the flow and look it up or simply read the drop-down list?
The free type-any-text interface with poor helpers is the worst in accessibility
Which format is the default if no argument is given?
Or more complicated contextual knowledge - if you cut 1sec of a video file, does fish autocomplete to tell you whether the video is reencoded or cut (otherwise) losslessly
the flow that doesn't require you to open a different tab or cancel a command to `man` your way through dozens of poorly searchable pages of documentation, but allows you to continue translating what you want in your mind into the interface command with delay potentially subsecond interrupts
Is there kind of rewards for speed running typing ffmpeg flags? Like an advent of ffmpeg?
I know what I want to do, I don't know how it's being done, but there's a wealth of information that is very accessible. So I just read it.
It's very easy to type `apropos ffmpeg`. And even if you typed `man ffmpeg`, if you go to the end, you will find related manuals name for more information. And you can always use the pager (`less` in most case) facility for quick search.
I believe that a lot of frustration comes from people unwilling to learn the conceptual basis of the tools they are using.
What's the reward for trivializing real issues and coming up with broken "solutions"?
> It's very easy to type `apropos ffmpeg`
No it's not. First, that's not a Windows command, so right off the bat you've cut off the largest OS.
Second, your command is naively empty and it's telling that you've given it instead of an actual search query because you wouldn't be able to come up with a great one right away that would result in the correct result at the top - while the correct resuls is "hardcoded" in the field type in the UI.
So yeah, go on, find that perfect query and then explain why you think every single user should be able to do the same quickly. Then you can think about how justified your other beliefs are about basic workflow issues you don't understand
> What's the reward for trivializing real issues and coming up with broken "solutions"
Then any solutions is broken in this way. Even my bluetooth speaker comes with a manual. Not reading it and saying the speaker is broken, because you can't figure how to connect is pure delusion. Same as not reading ffmpeg manual and expecting to know how to use it.
> First, that's not a Windows command, so right off the bat you've cut off the largest OS.
ffmpeg on Window is so far the beaten path that it may as well be in Mordor. I would gladly bet that someone that knows how to run ffmpeg on windows also knows how to find the documentation for it.
> So yeah, go on, find that perfect query
Why would I find the perfect query? Do you go in the library and then find the correct line of the correct book in one go? Or do you consult the list of books of books for a theme, select a few candidates, consult their index, and then read the pages?
Then all of that is left to do is to note down the reference if you need to consult the book again (no need to remember everything).
Nope, you're just doing the same thing - purposefully ignoring the issue to make your non-solution comparable...
> Even my bluetooth speaker comes with a manual.
... in this case - the length and scope of the manual. First, you can operate the speaker without the manual or with just a single read of the manual- so spend a few seconds to learn how to pair (but you might not even need that as "hold to pair" might be something you remember from other devices), then the power/volume buttons require no manual because you've operated such buttons your whole life.
> Same as not reading ffmpeg manual
Of course it's not the same, the ffmpeg manual isn't a tiny page of 5 items, and no other apps will help you learn the peculiarities of ffmpeg. Also, the whole point of intuitive UI with "typed info" is that you don't need to read that huge manual to do the basics as you can simply follow the structure laid out by someone more knowledgeable
> ffmpeg on Window is so far the beaten path that it may as well be in Mordor. I would gladly bet that someone that knows how to run ffmpeg on windows also knows how to find the documentation for it.
Who would take that irrelevant bet? The issue isn't in finding! the manual!
> Why would I find the perfect query?
To prove that your solution works. I know it doesn't and challenge you to prove otherwise. Your suggestion is worse than asking users to Google, because at least there users will likely get the correct top result in a few tries for common needs
> Do you go in the library and then find the correct line of the correct book in one go?
No, I open an app and pick the correct format from the drop-down menu correctly in one go
> Or do you consult the list of books of books for a theme, select a few candidates, consult their index, and then read the pages?
Oh man, even in your fantasies you can't come up with a good workflow! No wonder you're fine suggesting everyone wastes a lot of time aproposing empty queries
If you take the set of possible ffmpeg invocations, it's very huge. Yes, it's possible to create some kind of wrapper that serve some common cases. And there are many of such wrappers or alternative tools like Xld (macOS) or Handbrake. But when you do need to use ffmpeg, that means that such wrapper is unfit for some reason or another. And in that case, it's not that much of an effort to read the manual which is very comprehensive.
It's the same with video viewers or music players. Often the default app of the OS is enough and they are very intuitive. But sometimes you need a bit more control and that's when using something like vlc or mpv which their extensive filter capabilities (which requires to have the doc at hand) is mandatory.
ffmpeg interface is ok for what it does. Any of your suggestion would be complex to implement if it aims to support the whole feature set of ffmpeg.
To be fair to Linux, Windows has many, many rough edges as well. The difficult part for newbies is that those rough edges are _different_. In the long run I feel pretty confident saying that Linux is overall better, and that's because of the customizability. Ultimately, with some experience, one can essentially choose one’s own rough edges :P
On Windows they are mostly off the beaten path. I have a Windows PC setup as my media computer because my wife doesn't want to deal with Linux, and I've never once had an issue with the audio or Bluetooth.
On my Fedora desktop and Arch laptop I have audio/Bluetooth issues at least every couple of weeks.
In addition, my wife needs access to Adobe products, my brother needs access to Office. Those are non-negotiable for them because in both cases it's for work.
I'm a Linux fan, I don't even want to go back to Windows for my personal computer, but Windows is still a smoother experience for the majority of people.
...or `man` and the shell of your choice, plus the occasional config files. In fact, I would argue that config files will always be the superior method for modifying “settings” or other such customizations.
This is excellent advice. Spending 5 hours on a weekend cycling is extremely relaxing, not only because you are intensely using your body, but because you are completely and utterly distracted.
When I cycle, the first twenty kilometers are usually fairly painful: I am tired, I feel my knees, back, and muscles hurt, and am generally uncomfortable. After those twenty kilometers I enter a meditative, gelatinous phase, were I no longer really feel my body. I just ride. This is when I _think_; the same style of thinking I experience when lying, comfortably, in bed.
After maybe 60–90 kilometers (depending on my current fitness level), I enter the pain stage. This is when I start feeling my body again. Believe it or not, this is definitely the most therapeutic stage. This is when I cannot think. My mind stays blank, and I do — in a manner of speaking — nothing.
This lack of thought, meaning lack of stress, of worry, of hectic, etc., is what motivates me to go on 150 or 200 kilometer bike rides. You feel physically refreshed and exhausted. You feel that you were able to think in peace and purely, as well as having been void of all negative, stressful thoughts.
To anyone who has never tried an endurance sport like cycling: I highly recommend it. I started when I was 14, and it was one of the greatest decisions I ever made. It spared me hours of depression, fear, and stress. It also encouraged me to think and meditate in peace. I would not be the person I am today, if it were not for my dear high-school friend who showed me the world of cycling (as well as the world of communism; I owe much to this friend). Thank you.
I really identify with the phases and experience you describe above. The act of being engaged as your body moves through them is powerful.
Writer Haruki Murakami, a distance runner, was asked by an interviewer what we thinks about when he runs. Murakami responded that he basically doesn't think of anything. He runs not to think, but to _not_ think. That He runs specifically to create a void. (from his book "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running")
I would also encourage anyone who hasn't experienced this before: find an activity that demands this from you. You will learn a lot about yourself.
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