Xref:	news2.mv.net comp.os.msdos.djgpp:8459
From:	"John M. Aldrich" <fighteer AT cs DOT com>
Newsgroups:	comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Subject:	Re: Emacs and DJGPP.ENV
Date:	Tue, 10 Sep 1996 00:24:20 -0700
Organization:	Three pounds of chaos and a pinch of salt
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Message-ID:	<323517A4.26A6@cs.com>
References:	<1 DOT 5 DOT 4 DOT 16 DOT 19960909155445 DOT 387f8778 AT dmeasc DOT rc DOT ipt DOT br> <3234CF40 DOT 67CD AT gbrmpa DOT gov DOT au>
NNTP-Posting-Host:	ppp211.cs.com
Mime-Version:	1.0
To:	leathm AT gbrmpa DOT gov DOT au
DJ-Gateway:	from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp

Leath Muller wrote:
> 
> A question on emacs: Is there a lite version? I downloaded 19.34 and it
> seems there is a LOT of crap for stuff like LISP... (who uses this
> anyway... ;)  which I don't need or want. My Amiga 4000 used to have
> a version called memacs (micro emacs) which was small, and orientated
> for C. Is this version available for DOS, or will I have to do it
> myself?

Well, all the lisp stuff is needed by the compiler for its user-defined
functions, such as the various modes, compatibility features, and whatever
the heck else it does.  To create a "lite" version, you would first have
to define what parts of emacs you consider "unnecessary."  This would
obviously differ depending on what each individual user's needs were,
requiring several dozen different "lite" versions, each with a specific
function/specialty.  Because of the way Emacs is built, I seriously doubt
that you can simply distribute it in pieces like DJGPP.  Besides, if you
are seriously concerned about space, it should be a simple matter to scan
through the lisp directory and delete everything you don't need, right?
Just be careful not to nuke anything critical.

Some other space-saving Emacs tips:

* Delete or compress all the .el files from your lisp directory.  These
  contain the source code for the lisp functions, which have already been
  precompiled for you as .elc files.  The only reason to keep them is if
  you want to modify them.

* Delete the src directory once you've compiled.  Nothing in there is
  necessary for Emacs to run.

* Before you delete the source code, run strip on all the .o files and
  rebuild Emacs without debugging info.  This will create a much smaller
  Emacs executable.

The reason this all isn't done automatically is that, like I said, no
two people have the same needs for Emacs, and trying to drop something
for one set of users would just get another set mad.  If you really don't
like Emacs' size, go get some other smaller editor with less features.

As far as lisp goes, it's the internal language upon which all of Emacs'
features are built.  You can't simply "get rid" of it - even the _emacs
configuration file is written in lisp.  You may never want to learn it,
but you still need it nevertheless.  I have started experimenting and
find lisp to be a very interesting and useful language.

-- 
John M. Aldrich, aka Fighteer I <fighteer AT cs DOT com>

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