From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Robert Thorpe Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: Emacs Mini Manual (PART 3) - CUSTOMIZING AND EXTENDING EMACS Date: Tue, 08 Jul 2014 19:56:39 +0100 Message-ID: <87ion7r860.fsf@robertthorpeconsulting.com> References: <87k37nzy2q.fsf@debian.uxu> NNTP-Posting-Host: plane.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1404904127 16374 80.91.229.3 (9 Jul 2014 11:08:47 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2014 11:08:47 +0000 (UTC) Cc: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org To: Emanuel Berg Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Wed Jul 09 13:08:36 2014 Return-path: Envelope-to: geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([208.118.235.17]) by plane.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1X4pjo-0003ke-Fx for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Wed, 09 Jul 2014 13:08:36 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:59537 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1X4oDY-0002gv-Gi for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Wed, 09 Jul 2014 05:31:12 -0400 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:33658) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1X4aZV-0004wo-0g for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 08 Jul 2014 14:57:04 -0400 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1X4aZL-0005tF-PJ for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 08 Jul 2014 14:56:56 -0400 Original-Received: from outbound-smtp01.blacknight.com ([81.17.249.7]:41270) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1X4aZL-0005sY-Jw for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 08 Jul 2014 14:56:47 -0400 Original-Received: from mail.blacknight.com (pemlinmail01.blacknight.ie [81.17.254.10]) by outbound-smtp01.blacknight.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5E49E987DC for ; Tue, 8 Jul 2014 18:56:44 +0000 (UTC) Original-Received: (qmail 9043 invoked from network); 8 Jul 2014 18:56:44 -0000 Original-Received: from unknown (HELO RTLaptop) (rt@robertthorpeconsulting.com@[77.130.85.223]) by 81.17.254.9 with ESMTPSA (DHE-RSA-AES128-SHA encrypted, authenticated); 8 Jul 2014 18:56:42 -0000 In-Reply-To: <87k37nzy2q.fsf@debian.uxu> (message from Emanuel Berg on Tue, 08 Jul 2014 17:09:49 +0200) X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 2.6.x X-Received-From: 81.17.249.7 X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:98597 Archived-At: Emanuel Berg writes: > solidius4747@gmail.com writes: > ... > > I only have a very old version of the manual - Emacs > 18, I think - but I read that twice. It wasn't > difficult to understand but I noticed there were gaps > in it when I compared how I used Emacs. There was no > mention of Gnus and I don't remember if RMAIL was > mentioned, for example, but there were material on the > message-mode, perhaps to be used between Unix boxes on > an intranet (?) - of course, if those things weren't > around then, they couldn't have been included - but as > for being a reference, I don't remember it being too > difficult to digest, on the contrary I remember it > being pleasant to read (big sheets, wide margins, clear > and normal language, and so on). I recommend using a new version of the Emacs manual set. The last version of Emacs 18 was released more than 21 years ago. The current manual describes RMAIL in detail. A separate manual describes GNUS, that manual is part of the set. "Message-mode" is the mode for composing email and newsgroup posts that comes with GNUS. It's used by GNUS, RMAIL and several other programs. It's frequently used, I'm using it now, that's why it's included in the manual set. Of-course reading an old manual is still useful, many things haven't changed. Most of the manuals provide basic help on using a feature *and* more advanced info. So, the manuals can be read as a reference, or read selectively. I'm in the process of re-reading the Emacs manual myself. I've found quite a lot of useful stuff. This isn't a criticism of solidius4747's tutorial. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, so I can't comment. I agree that there are many things that should be treated in the manual that aren't there. BR, Rob