5 ms·

I've used Emacs for decades and still feel like I'm barely scratching the surface. What would really help me with articles like this one is more narrative on _

by jf 7y ago

I've used Emacs for decades and still feel like I'm barely scratching the surface. What would really help me with articles like this one is more narrative on _why_ these particular modes are so useful. For example, it took me a long time to learn org-mode because I just didn't know what to do with it! I feel like Helm is similar, I've tried it briefly, but I'm not sure if or how it would fit into my workflow.

ashton314 7y ago
I completely agree. I used vanilla Emacs for about a decade before finding list-packages. (I know, I know. I was really behind.) But stuff like org-mode never clicked for me. I had to sit down with the manual and read it to finally get a handle on what it is. I'm currently drafting an essay on what makes org-mode compelling, rather than how to use it. I think I'll do the same for other tools I use.
- jf 7y ago
  Awesome! I love reading essays like what you're planning on writing. Let me know how I can help, for example: I'd be happy to review drafts, be a sounding board, etc - my contact info is in my HN bio. Let me know!
  - ashton314 7y ago
    :) Thanks! I’ll ping you when it’s ready for some feedback.
- BeetleB 7y ago
  > I used vanilla Emacs for about a decade before finding list-packages. To be fair, list-packages is a relatively recent addition to Emacs (2012).
- cannam 7y ago
  > I completely agree. I used vanilla Emacs for about a decade before finding list-packages I think it helps to think of Emacs as just another platform - and a nice stable one. You may or may not use, or know about, all the "applications" available for it. New stuff comes along that you haven't heard about; you might occasionally want to review things; and it doesn't really matter if you don't. I've been using it for the usual handful of decades and have gone through phases of using one exciting new thing or another, but I've dropped most of them - I no longer run builds from Emacs (I do recompilation in the background in a separate terminal), nor read mail or use version control software from within it. I don't use evil and my colour scheme is mostly black-on-white. My .emacs has ended up almost back where it was 25 years ago. (In fact it still has references to Epoch and Lucid Emacs in a couple of comments.) The two additions in the past couple of decades that have made a big difference to me are Tramp (a nice upgrade from ange-ftp) and the ability to set non-integer line spacings.
  - nothrabannosir 7y ago
    As an Emacs neophyte and vi vicenarian, I'd love to know why you ended up ditching evil alongside the other goods. I see the ortholinearity of e-mail and vcs in an editor, but evil seemed to me living within the editor, rather than atop it. Appropriately: a minor mode rather than a major. Like, say, editorcfg. Was this not your experience?
    - cannam 7y ago
      Oh, evil wasn't something I ditched - I never used it. I just mentioned it because it's so often cited as a vital thing. (ooh, nice potential pun there in vi-tal... hm) Same goes for the colour scheme. It's the higher-level applications that have come and gone. Sorry to be unclear.
  - useragent86 7y ago
    > I think it helps to think of Emacs as just another platform - and a nice stable one. You may or may not use, or know about, all the "applications" available for it. New stuff comes along that you haven't heard about; you might occasionally want to review things; and it doesn't really matter if you don't. That's one of the best explanations I've heard. Thanks.
mycpuorg 7y ago
Interesting. This is probably a very subjective thing. IMO, this is analogous to selecting a keyboard. You can read all about the tactile feedback from a mechanical keyboard but it's different to find out which one "feels" right, also since I like "test driving" features for a bit and figure how to use it along the way I prefer the 'How' articles. However, I would love to read (and write) more about the 'Why?' behind the features as well.
BeetleB 7y ago
> For example, it took me a long time to learn org-mode because I just didn't know what to do with it! Carsten Dominik's Google Tech Talk is probably still the best intro: https://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-screencasts/org-mode-google-tech-talk.html https://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-screencasts/org-m...
- useragent86 7y ago
  See as well this video for more recent demos (2019) by John Wiegley (the Emacs maintainer) and John Kitchin (a CMU chemistry professor who uses Org extensively): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31gwvApo8zg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31gwvApo8zg
weaksauce 7y ago
helm is a vessel that opens up many other things to shine... swoop is fantastic and uses helm for that, the ability to add spaces to your search and it do a match on two fields independently instead of a rigid string match is great too. many things use helm to show lists of things.
brlewis 7y ago
> I feel like Helm is similar, I've tried it briefly, but I'm not sure if or how it would fit into my workflow. Prefix-based autocompletion is always good enough for you? I don't use Helm, at least not yet, but thought the Helm demo image in the article was enlightening.
rvdca 7y ago
There are these series of "absolute minimums" (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd_Oyt6lAQ8RgaMN3JnmZjxhPZ8jU34fP https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd_Oyt6lAQ8RgaMN3JnmZ...) centered on Spacemacs (a modified version of Emacs) but they go over helm and a bunch of different things. Should be generic enough to be useful.

by jf 7y ago

ashton314 7y ago

I completely agree. I used vanilla Emacs for about a decade before finding list-packages. (I know, I know. I was really behind.) But stuff like org-mode never clicked for me. I had to sit down with the manual and read it to finally get a handle on what it is. I'm currently drafting an essay on what makes org-mode compelling, rather than how to use it. I think I'll do the same for other tools I use.

jf 7y ago
Awesome! I love reading essays like what you're planning on writing. Let me know how I can help, for example: I'd be happy to review drafts, be a sounding board, etc - my contact info is in my HN bio. Let me know!
- ashton314 7y ago
  :) Thanks! I’ll ping you when it’s ready for some feedback.
BeetleB 7y ago
> I used vanilla Emacs for about a decade before finding list-packages. To be fair, list-packages is a relatively recent addition to Emacs (2012).
cannam 7y ago
> I completely agree. I used vanilla Emacs for about a decade before finding list-packages I think it helps to think of Emacs as just another platform - and a nice stable one. You may or may not use, or know about, all the "applications" available for it. New stuff comes along that you haven't heard about; you might occasionally want to review things; and it doesn't really matter if you don't. I've been using it for the usual handful of decades and have gone through phases of using one exciting new thing or another, but I've dropped most of them - I no longer run builds from Emacs (I do recompilation in the background in a separate terminal), nor read mail or use version control software from within it. I don't use evil and my colour scheme is mostly black-on-white. My .emacs has ended up almost back where it was 25 years ago. (In fact it still has references to Epoch and Lucid Emacs in a couple of comments.) The two additions in the past couple of decades that have made a big difference to me are Tramp (a nice upgrade from ange-ftp) and the ability to set non-integer line spacings.
- nothrabannosir 7y ago
  As an Emacs neophyte and vi vicenarian, I'd love to know why you ended up ditching evil alongside the other goods. I see the ortholinearity of e-mail and vcs in an editor, but evil seemed to me living within the editor, rather than atop it. Appropriately: a minor mode rather than a major. Like, say, editorcfg. Was this not your experience?
  - cannam 7y ago
    Oh, evil wasn't something I ditched - I never used it. I just mentioned it because it's so often cited as a vital thing. (ooh, nice potential pun there in vi-tal... hm) Same goes for the colour scheme. It's the higher-level applications that have come and gone. Sorry to be unclear.
- useragent86 7y ago
  > I think it helps to think of Emacs as just another platform - and a nice stable one. You may or may not use, or know about, all the "applications" available for it. New stuff comes along that you haven't heard about; you might occasionally want to review things; and it doesn't really matter if you don't. That's one of the best explanations I've heard. Thanks.

mycpuorg 7y ago

Interesting. This is probably a very subjective thing. IMO, this is analogous to selecting a keyboard. You can read all about the tactile feedback from a mechanical keyboard but it's different to find out which one "feels" right, also since I like "test driving" features for a bit and figure how to use it along the way I prefer the 'How' articles. However, I would love to read (and write) more about the 'Why?' behind the features as well.

BeetleB 7y ago

> For example, it took me a long time to learn org-mode because I just didn't know what to do with it! Carsten Dominik's Google Tech Talk is probably still the best intro: https://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-screencasts/org-mode-google-tech-talk.html https://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-screencasts/org-m...

useragent86 7y ago
See as well this video for more recent demos (2019) by John Wiegley (the Emacs maintainer) and John Kitchin (a CMU chemistry professor who uses Org extensively): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31gwvApo8zg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31gwvApo8zg

weaksauce 7y ago

helm is a vessel that opens up many other things to shine... swoop is fantastic and uses helm for that, the ability to add spaces to your search and it do a match on two fields independently instead of a rigid string match is great too. many things use helm to show lists of things.

brlewis 7y ago

> I feel like Helm is similar, I've tried it briefly, but I'm not sure if or how it would fit into my workflow. Prefix-based autocompletion is always good enough for you? I don't use Helm, at least not yet, but thought the Helm demo image in the article was enlightening.

rvdca 7y ago

There are these series of "absolute minimums" (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd_Oyt6lAQ8RgaMN3JnmZjxhPZ8jU34fP https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd_Oyt6lAQ8RgaMN3JnmZ...) centered on Spacemacs (a modified version of Emacs) but they go over helm and a bunch of different things. Should be generic enough to be useful.