Re: Emacs Book Vs Emacs Manuals

[Bob Proulx]

Yuri Khan wrote:
> Emanuel Berg wrote:
> > Keyboard macros is poor-man's programming and while
> > they can be useful in many situations it is in many
> > more situations better to write proper Lisp. When one
> > gets some fluency with it it is not only infinitely
> > more powerful (obviously) but also faster, safer, and
> > less frustrating than keyboard macros.
> 
> For recurring tasks, yes. But for a one-off highly repetitive task, a
> macro is cheaper to set up.
> 
> Also, macros can be viewed as a gateway drug to programming.

I have been writing programs for quite a long time.  I also use emacs
macros quite a lot too.  Both have their proper place.  In my mind
macros are mostly interactive while programs are mostly
non-interactive.  With a macro it is like using a carving tool on a
piece of wood to create a sculpture.  With a program it is like
building a jig to create as many sculptures as desired.  It takes more
effort to create a program but having done so it pays more return.
But if just doing something one-off then a macro is less effort.

Bob