Re: Tab doesn't work in emacs

[kgold]

In article <mailman.1149.1043889789.21513.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>,
 Christopher Forsythe <the_tick@brok3n.org> writes:
> Hi,
> 
>     I've lost the functionality of my tab button in emacs 21.1.1. I am
> running os x 10.2.3, and lost the functionality of my delete key as well, it
> would bring up the help menu. Fixed that with a .emacs file. I'd like to be
> able to do two things
> 
> 1) Fix the tab function

Type
        C-h c TAB

and tell us what you get.  It might be that the TAB key is mapped
to a function other than a primitive tab.

> 2) Make the instructions in the .emacs file global, so that all users would
> have it by just typing .emacs, but without putting a .emacs file into
> everyones home directory.

Think really hard before you do this.  Is it really a site wide
customization that people will need in order for emacs to work?  Or is
a cool customization that you like and want to share with everyone?

If the latter, it might annoy more users than it helps, when emacs
behaves in s strange non-default way and they can't figure out why.

>From the manual:

   There can also be a "default init file", which is the library named
`default.el', found via the standard search path for libraries.  The
Emacs distribution contains no such library; your site may create one
for local customizations.  If this library exists, it is loaded
whenever you start Emacs (except when you specify `-q').  But your init
file, if any, is loaded first; if it sets `inhibit-default-init'
non-`nil', then `default' is not loaded.

   Your site may also have a "site startup file"; this is named
`site-start.el', if it exists.  Emacs loads this library before it
loads your init file.  To inhibit loading of this library, use the
option `-no-site-file'.


-- 
-- 
Ken Goldman   kgold@watson.ibm.com   914-784-7646