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Just to add: the built-in "Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp" is also really really great. I have been using emacs for a while, with one framework or a

Just to add: the built-in "Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp" is also really really great. I have been using emacs for a while, with one framework or another, but always hesitated actually learning lisp. I was too focused on learning the kinds of languages and systems that might get me a job, and it felt like too big of a venture in learning a whole language just for my development environment. Now, I have a given up on the employable thing, and have been enlightened by SICP and lispey languages, and in general, the simple beauty of Emacs itself, not just what I can make it do. It takes only a little time to get comfortable with the nested (), and weird vocabulary, and it just really will click with you at some point, how simple it all really is, how every function bears on the simple syntactic principles of the language as whole, its lists all the way down! You can see the language work, by looking at the code. It may not get me a fancy computer job, but I think I am happier on the whole anyway, giving myself to lisp. Something therapeutic about it.

gypsyharlot 5y ago
How do you access the built-in "Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp"?
- nanna 5y ago
  C-h i m 'Emacs Lisp Intro'
  - gypsyharlot 5y ago
    That doesn't work for me.
    - Jtsummers 5y ago
      Don't use the quotes for the phrase, just type it verbatim. If that still doesn't work then either the info page isn't installed (weird) or something else is up. You can also, from the first info page at C-h i, type "C-s emacs lisp intro" which should bring you to it. And again, if it's not there then something is wonky with your install.
      - gypsyharlot 5y ago
        I have a totally standard Emacs install, but it's not there. C-h i and searching with C-s for "lisp" finds nothing either.
        dfinninger 5y ago
        I found it on my Mac in the menu bar. Like the one at the top of the screen next to the Apple logo. Clicking with my mouse: Help > More Manuals > Introduction to Emacs Lisp. I assume in Windows/Linux this would actually be attached to the window frame at the top.
        Jtsummers 5y ago
        So the only thing I can find is that for emacs before emacs 21 it was not included (I didn't know that, I guess I installed it through my package manager or some other means back then and forgot). After that, it is included by default. But you can check to see if your package manager includes a separate `emacs-lisp-intro` or similar package. Short that, you'll have to download it from the site and install it manually to see it in emacs or just use the HTML version. https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/eintr.html https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/eintr.html
    - ska 5y ago
      It should on a standard install. If you have things remapped, try M-x info, then search for "Emacs List Intro" but it should be near the top anyway.
      - gypsyharlot 5y ago
        M-x info, C-s lisp... nothing.
        ska 5y ago
        I suspect you have an idiosyncratic install.
    - donio 5y ago
      C-h i d m Emacs Lisp Intro RET Need that d to take you back to the top directory if you happen to be browsing some other info manual already.
      - gypsyharlot 5y ago
        C-h i d m Emacs<press space>Lisp<press space>[no match]
    - JJMcJ 5y ago
      Takes me to information on keymaps
    - BeetleB 5y ago
      Something must have clearly gone wrong with the install (or perhaps there is a minimal install version...?) If this were Gentoo, I would suggest that perhaps the "doc" USE flag was not enabled?
      - mindcrime 5y ago
        Looks like Debian/Ubuntu and derivatives don't install the Emacs manuals by default. I had to do this to get it on my PopOS box: sudo apt-get -y install emacs-common-non-dfsg
    - mindcrime 5y ago
      Same. I have a vanilla Emacs install and the Lisp Intro doesn't seem to be there. You can find it online though: https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/EmacsLispIntro https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/EmacsLispIntro Edit: I'm on an Ubuntu derived distro, so this may be the issue: https://emacs.stackexchange.com/questions/48211/emacs-manuals-are-missing-on-debian-ubuntu https://emacs.stackexchange.com/questions/48211/emacs-manual... Edit2: Yeah, at least for me that was the problem. This fixed it: sudo apt-get -y install emacs-common-non-dfsg
    - marcosdumay 5y ago
      Are you using Debian, and if so, do you have the non-free documentation installed (emacs-common-non-dfsg)?
      - gypsyharlot 5y ago
        This is Debian, yes. Thank you, I will try that.
      - deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
  - BeetleB 5y ago
    More in line with the submission's advice: Help menu --> More manuals --> Introduction to Emacs Lisp
- JJMcJ 5y ago
  Using the menu bar, remember don't disable that, Help => More Manuals => Introduction to Emacs Lisp
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
TacticalCoder 5y ago
> ... and have been enlightened by SICP and lispey languages, Fun anecdote: I've got my copy of SICP signed by both authors for Sussman invited me to have tea in his office and when I arrived the next day, by sheer chance, Abelson was there too! They joked that had I been there 30 minutes early Sussman's wife, who proofread the book, would have signed it too! I've got a cool pic taken at that moment: me standing along these two legends and proudly holding the purple book... I'll post that pic and full story the day I have a blog. Besides that I pretty much live inside Emacs. The occasional elisp (3000 lines of custom elisp hackery over the decades) and lots of Clojure/ClojureScript.
- beepbooptheory 5y ago
  Wow so cool! I have been working through it with just the HTML version, but recently resolved to get the physical book, its just one those I gotta have.. Then, one day when I have the money, I will get the full volumes of The Art of Computer Programming by Knuth.
  - icedata 5y ago
    I just printed out the pdf version of the book. I found a shop that would bind it for me and print it double-sided.
  - 908B64B197 5y ago
    I wonder how much he could raise for charity by selling autographed copies. The man is a legend.
- watersb 5y ago
  > had I been there 30 minutes early Sussman's wife, who proofread the book, would have signed it too! I have thought that J Sussman not only proofread the book, but also came up with some of the problem sets and tested many of them: she worked through the book, not just a matter of spell-checking. But I don't know. In any event, SICP changed my world in a good way. Very cool that you got both authors to sign a copy!
ylee 5y ago
>It may not get me a fancy computer job, but I think I am happier on the whole anyway, giving myself to lisp. I am the same way. I have been using Emacs since 1995, but have never had a full-time programming/IT job (although my tech skills have always been integral to my career). Perhaps having the luxury of not having to write code for pay is what makes me want to instead slowly learn Elisp. I read email using VM on Emacs (also since 1995), and over the last few years I have broken out of just knowing enough to maintain Emacs' dotfiles to actually writing substantial routines that expand on/fix VM and Emacs's capabilities.

gypsyharlot 5y ago

How do you access the built-in "Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp"?

nanna 5y ago
C-h i m 'Emacs Lisp Intro'
- gypsyharlot 5y ago
  That doesn't work for me.
  - Jtsummers 5y ago
    Don't use the quotes for the phrase, just type it verbatim. If that still doesn't work then either the info page isn't installed (weird) or something else is up. You can also, from the first info page at C-h i, type "C-s emacs lisp intro" which should bring you to it. And again, if it's not there then something is wonky with your install.
    - gypsyharlot 5y ago
      I have a totally standard Emacs install, but it's not there. C-h i and searching with C-s for "lisp" finds nothing either.
      - dfinninger 5y ago
        I found it on my Mac in the menu bar. Like the one at the top of the screen next to the Apple logo. Clicking with my mouse: Help > More Manuals > Introduction to Emacs Lisp. I assume in Windows/Linux this would actually be attached to the window frame at the top.
      - Jtsummers 5y ago
        So the only thing I can find is that for emacs before emacs 21 it was not included (I didn't know that, I guess I installed it through my package manager or some other means back then and forgot). After that, it is included by default. But you can check to see if your package manager includes a separate `emacs-lisp-intro` or similar package. Short that, you'll have to download it from the site and install it manually to see it in emacs or just use the HTML version. https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/eintr.html https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/eintr.html
  - ska 5y ago
    It should on a standard install. If you have things remapped, try M-x info, then search for "Emacs List Intro" but it should be near the top anyway.
    - gypsyharlot 5y ago
      M-x info, C-s lisp... nothing.
      - ska 5y ago
        I suspect you have an idiosyncratic install.
  - donio 5y ago
    C-h i d m Emacs Lisp Intro RET Need that d to take you back to the top directory if you happen to be browsing some other info manual already.
    - gypsyharlot 5y ago
      C-h i d m Emacs<press space>Lisp<press space>[no match]
  - JJMcJ 5y ago
    Takes me to information on keymaps
  - BeetleB 5y ago
    Something must have clearly gone wrong with the install (or perhaps there is a minimal install version...?) If this were Gentoo, I would suggest that perhaps the "doc" USE flag was not enabled?
    - mindcrime 5y ago
      Looks like Debian/Ubuntu and derivatives don't install the Emacs manuals by default. I had to do this to get it on my PopOS box: sudo apt-get -y install emacs-common-non-dfsg
  - mindcrime 5y ago
    Same. I have a vanilla Emacs install and the Lisp Intro doesn't seem to be there. You can find it online though: https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/EmacsLispIntro https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/EmacsLispIntro Edit: I'm on an Ubuntu derived distro, so this may be the issue: https://emacs.stackexchange.com/questions/48211/emacs-manuals-are-missing-on-debian-ubuntu https://emacs.stackexchange.com/questions/48211/emacs-manual... Edit2: Yeah, at least for me that was the problem. This fixed it: sudo apt-get -y install emacs-common-non-dfsg
  - marcosdumay 5y ago
    Are you using Debian, and if so, do you have the non-free documentation installed (emacs-common-non-dfsg)?
    - gypsyharlot 5y ago
      This is Debian, yes. Thank you, I will try that.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
- BeetleB 5y ago
  More in line with the submission's advice: Help menu --> More manuals --> Introduction to Emacs Lisp
JJMcJ 5y ago
Using the menu bar, remember don't disable that, Help => More Manuals => Introduction to Emacs Lisp
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

TacticalCoder 5y ago

> ... and have been enlightened by SICP and lispey languages, Fun anecdote: I've got my copy of SICP signed by both authors for Sussman invited me to have tea in his office and when I arrived the next day, by sheer chance, Abelson was there too! They joked that had I been there 30 minutes early Sussman's wife, who proofread the book, would have signed it too! I've got a cool pic taken at that moment: me standing along these two legends and proudly holding the purple book... I'll post that pic and full story the day I have a blog. Besides that I pretty much live inside Emacs. The occasional elisp (3000 lines of custom elisp hackery over the decades) and lots of Clojure/ClojureScript.

beepbooptheory 5y ago
Wow so cool! I have been working through it with just the HTML version, but recently resolved to get the physical book, its just one those I gotta have.. Then, one day when I have the money, I will get the full volumes of The Art of Computer Programming by Knuth.
- icedata 5y ago
  I just printed out the pdf version of the book. I found a shop that would bind it for me and print it double-sided.
- 908B64B197 5y ago
  I wonder how much he could raise for charity by selling autographed copies. The man is a legend.
watersb 5y ago
> had I been there 30 minutes early Sussman's wife, who proofread the book, would have signed it too! I have thought that J Sussman not only proofread the book, but also came up with some of the problem sets and tested many of them: she worked through the book, not just a matter of spell-checking. But I don't know. In any event, SICP changed my world in a good way. Very cool that you got both authors to sign a copy!

ylee 5y ago

>It may not get me a fancy computer job, but I think I am happier on the whole anyway, giving myself to lisp. I am the same way. I have been using Emacs since 1995, but have never had a full-time programming/IT job (although my tech skills have always been integral to my career). Perhaps having the luxury of not having to write code for pay is what makes me want to instead slowly learn Elisp. I read email using VM on Emacs (also since 1995), and over the last few years I have broken out of just knowing enough to maintain Emacs' dotfiles to actually writing substantial routines that expand on/fix VM and Emacs's capabilities.