(In reply to comment #25)
> what we ask (at least, this is what i asked - see bug 51897, which was marked
> as duplicate of this one) is that when the user types "[[", VE will remove
> the "[[" from the page, and behave as if the user typed <Ctrl>+K, i.e. open
> the "Link" form.

Yep, I think everyone commenting on this bug understands the request. :-)

The problem is, as stated, computers aren't very good at reading minds or understanding context. You want to support "[[" magically transforming into a VisualEditor link. This is certainly possible to implement, but then you naturally have to support:

* [[foo]]
* [[foo]]s
* [[foo|bar]]
* [[w:foo]]
* [[w:foo|]]
* [[w:en:foo (bar)|]]
* [[WP:FOO]]

When a user types "[[File:foo.png]]", do they really mean they want a link to the file or do they really mean they want to include the file?

What about "[[Category:foo]]"? It's often trivial for humans to understand what we mean or to understand what other humans mean, but computers... not so much.

Once we add support for [[]] magically transforming into a link, does that mean we also have to support magic words such as {{DEFAULTSORT:}}, __NOTOC__, and so on? What about ParserFunctions such as {{#time:}} and {{#if:}}?

And, of course, a certain percentage of users will want to actually include brackets ("[" and "]") in their edits. How do they undo the magical transformation?

Down this path, madness lies, I promise.

> easy to do, simple, and does not go against any principle in UI design,
> except sheer stubbornness of the VE team.

The VE team has certainly exhibited some stubbornness. But I personally agree with their decision here.

> unfortunately i am not able at this time to provide a patch, but 92.24% of
> the code is already in place - just find where VE jumps the popup, and do
> something useful instead.

A patch to VisualEditor or to MediaWiki will not be accepted. However, users are welcome to create JavaScript gadgets, personal JavaScript subpages, client-side scripts (think Greasemonkey), or even implement site-wide JavaScript with appropriate community consultation and consensus.