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Date: Sun, 21 Mar 1999 15:25:51
To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
From: Ralph Proctor <ralphgpr AT shadow DOT net>
Subject: EMACS is superb
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Reply-To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com

Anybody that runs down and makes jokes about EMACS has not put in the
effort to get skilled enough to USE it seriously. I know, I used to be that
way. Not now. I use it all the time now and am even learning to write
extensions (I had to buy a book to get me into that).

It is no harder to learn EMACS than any other good editor or word
processor. It just might seem that way because at first the commands seem
DIFFERENT. But the command system really makes sense after you use it for a
while.

I have found the following to be of very high quality:

1.) The tutorial that comes with EMACS.

2.) The file _EMACS.XMP which is a sort of tutorial in itself once you get
to understand the code.
I had to do some digging to figure the code out, but it did not take long.
Eli's modifications make EMACS faster and more pleasant (syntax
highlighting, for example) to use. I do wish he had put in more wordy
comments to the lisp code to help the beginner understand more deeply what
is going on, but still, a little digging makes it clear.

3.) The GNU Emacs Manual, 12th Edition for Version 19.34. I printed out the
PostScript version.
Mr. Stallman's writing is perfectly clear. In most cases all I have to read
is what I need at the time.
It's a very good book.

4.) The extensibility of EMACS is absolutely amazing. But this meant
nothing to me until I started putting it to work.

5.) The help system, particularly "Apropos" --- wonderful!!!  Nothing like
it anywhere, that I know of.

Every hour I have spent getting deeper into this superb editor and ELISP
interpreter--((I think that's what
 it is :)) has paid off.

Ralph