Re: Emacs Book Vs Emacs Manuals

[tomas]

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On Tue, May 12, 2015 at 08:45:39PM +0300, Eli Zaretskii wrote:

[...]

> I would start by typing "i directory TAB", then see "directory
> listing" there, and select it.  And there, lo and behold, I'd see
> this:

Really good example you got there, which nicely stresses the strengths
and weaknesses of the whole thing. Two notes:

  1. I've been using Emacs for quite a while. I'm perhaps atypical
     in that I learn in leaps and bounds and not very systematically.
     It took me several years (three? four?) to learn about "i".
     Before, I used "s". I shouldn't have been allowed to *touch*
     Emacs without knowing about Info's "i" (see below for some
     thoughts on that)

  2. I enter "i folder TAB" and get no entries. Hmmm.

Ad 1: I think an intro should blaze a wide track collecting the
indispensable tools to get up and running (and only hinting at
alternatives).

Which are the "indispensable tools" is very much a matter of taste
and of "current fashion": it will vary over users and time.

Most user nowadays will be happy to use the (these days) conventional
cursor keys for movement (and discover to their delight that C-Left
jumps by words, wow!), click on menus and so on. Thus (one variant of)
tutorial would *only hint* (with links) at the existence of C-f etc.
which are so close to the hearts of the old garde. Heck, I'm an
old fart and *even on vi* (which I spell vim) I don't "HJKL" but use
the cursor keys (which are more within reach these days as nearly
everyone who has still a keyboard is on some kind of netbook).

Ad 2: As Emacs is used by a more diverse population, it has to talk
a broader language set. Besides, language(s) evolve over time.

I know that there's an effort to add synonyms to the index (see?
I tried to look up "synonym" in the info manual. No hits ;-) --
but I don't believe that it scales as it is, done by hand by
a handful of heroes (no, really, I have a ton of appreciation for
this work: Emacs has given me more joy that I'm able to express
in a few words) -- one bug report at a time.

I think we need new ideas here, therefore I'm really excited that
Vaidheeswaran C is taking a try at it. Thanks!

Regards
- -- tomás
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