This Irreal post on dependencies and this one on Emacs bloat discussed the idea that many Emacs users have too many packages and other capabilities enabled in their Emacs configuration files. I’ve never worried about that because, really, there’s no reason to do so. Indeed, those who do worry about it mostly fall back on aesthetics as the reason for their worry.
Over at the Emacs subreddit, ptrtoj is complaining that he’s eliminated a lot of packages but his configuration is still over 500 lines long. He’s wondering what else he can do in his quest for a minimal configuration. His post got me thinking explicitly about the value of small configurations and the quest for them.
Here’s a heretical thought: why are minimal configurations a good thing and why should we pursue them? To be sure, every Emacs user eventually accumulates cruft in their configuration: packages they no longer use, workarounds for a bug in Emacs 22 that’s long since been fixed, customizations no longer serving a purpose, and other things they don’t need anymore. No one is arguing that we shouldn’t get rid of the cruft but that’s a bit different from seeking a “minimal configuration” as if it were a good thing per se.
I would argue that on the contrary a large configuration is a sign of users who have—probably over time—made the effort to optimize Emacs for their particular workflow. That a large configuration is, in fact, a sign of a serious—and possibly master—Emacs user.
On reflection, I don’t understand what those desiring a minimal conjuration are seeking or why they’re seeking it. In these days of virtually infinite memory and unlimited CPU power, a minimalism enforced for no clear reason doesn’t make sense.