Emacs packages, and Org specifically, tend to have a hands-on approach to editing files: Emacs' API relies on moving around the cursor (‘point’) and doing stuff in its vicinity, and Org has rather little abstraction on top, basically jumping from user-visible commands straight to this fiddling.
My dream is that Org is implemented in layers instead: a low-level Org API deals with the text and provides concepts of headings, lists and such, the internal ‘business logic’ uses those, and the interface and user commands are built on top. Then extensions to Org, like my personal functions and customizations, can also operate on the higher-level concepts, instead of having to mess with text regularly or to keep in mind how each function moves the cursor.
Another dream is that Elisp is implemented as a standalone embeddable engine, instead of being conjoined with Emacs. Thus, if the two dreams merge, third-party applications could embed elisp, have their own low-level Org API that uses the app's structures, with their own interface plugged into that—but borrow logic from Org and bolt other scripts and customizations onto it. Like, I could just copy my scripts from the desktop onto the phone. That's my kind of PIM.
Of course, there would be limitations, like working with snippets in other languages, which unavoidably relies on Emacs' text APIs. But personally I can sacrifice that on the phone, just as I do now with Orgzly.
My dream is that Org is implemented in layers instead: a low-level Org API deals with the text and provides concepts of headings, lists and such, the internal ‘business logic’ uses those, and the interface and user commands are built on top. Then extensions to Org, like my personal functions and customizations, can also operate on the higher-level concepts, instead of having to mess with text regularly or to keep in mind how each function moves the cursor.
Another dream is that Elisp is implemented as a standalone embeddable engine, instead of being conjoined with Emacs. Thus, if the two dreams merge, third-party applications could embed elisp, have their own low-level Org API that uses the app's structures, with their own interface plugged into that—but borrow logic from Org and bolt other scripts and customizations onto it. Like, I could just copy my scripts from the desktop onto the phone. That's my kind of PIM.
Of course, there would be limitations, like working with snippets in other languages, which unavoidably relies on Emacs' text APIs. But personally I can sacrifice that on the phone, just as I do now with Orgzly.