Re: Using "Emacs Configure" **and** modifying .emacs

[Emanuel Berg <moasen@zoho.com>]

tomas wrote:

> This is waht I meant by "guts": imagine
> Tramp, which uses some access method deep in
> another module, which then, for the first
> time, needs the variable. That happens
> dynamically, at the moment you try to access
> a file dependent on this method, long
> (perhaps weeks) after you set the variable.
> Not very debugging-friendly.

It is 50/50 if all this
superstructure/post-processing really does it
more debugging-friendly *or* if it just makes
it more complicated around a situation that is
bad to begin with.

Better to cut the head of the snake that take
your chances with the cobra dance.

> Similarly (just another aspect of the same
> thing), this can do away with that pesky
> "eval-after-load" you'd need with the
> setq approach.

If you `require' all the stuff that you need
step one, you don't need to bother with that.
(And it is also a good idea in general to do
so.) Find out where the variable is defined
(with the help system), require the module that
corresponds with the file, set the variable,
byte compile, done.

Also, on things that are pesky. I think it is
good pesky stuff are around. Or, well...
perhaps not "good". But I don't want to dispose
of any of them. You should be able to write
anything with Lisp, including horrible program
in even worse a style!

An example is indentation. I always do that and
rearrange stuff until it is exactly like I want
it. Perhaps someday long ago, this was a time
loss. But now, with functions, shortcuts,
finger habits (muscle memory), and typing, it
is actually a time-and-pleasure *gain* since it
makes me more relaxed and less prone to have
bugs, and quicker to find them. And you know,
"may I indent your code?" is the No. 1 hacker
insult. Still, when I wrote Python some ten
years ago, I don't know maybe that has changed,
but then indentation was mandatory in a certain
way and this happened as you typed! Which was
horrible and took the whole joy out of it, not
to mention there are tons of "indentation
schemes" that I use which I couldn't use.
So what this long story is telling you is - you
understand what I mean, right?

-- 
underground experts united
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573