Where can I find some documents about the architecture of emacs?

Where can I find some documents about the architecture of emacs?

[Navy Cheng]

Hi, I want to learn something about the desgin of emacs and want to find the
elisp interpretor part of emacs. Now, I know the C part is in ./src, but I
don't know which file/files is about the interpretor.

I find that many of the documents in the source tree is about *how to use
emacs* other than *the architecture of emacs*. Is there any docs I want?

Where can I find some documents about the architecture of emacs?

[Navy Cheng]

Hi, I want to learn something about the desgin of emacs and want to find the
elisp interpretor part of emacs. Now, I know the C part is in ./src, but I
don't know which file/files is about the interpretor.

I find that many of the documents in the source tree is about *how to use
emacs* other than *the architecture of emacs*. Is there any docs I want?

Re: Where can I find some documents about the architecture of emacs?

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2015 23:17:57 +0800
> From: Navy Cheng <navych@126.com>
> 
> Hi, I want to learn something about the desgin of emacs and want to find the
> elisp interpretor part of emacs. Now, I know the C part is in ./src, but I
> don't know which file/files is about the interpretor.

All of the C files are parts of the interpreter: they all implement
primitive functions exposed by the interpreter to Lisp.

If you are looking for the core parts of the interpreter, then look at
data.c, eval.c, bytecode.c, and lread.c.  Perhaps also print.c.

> I find that many of the documents in the source tree is about *how to use
> emacs* other than *the architecture of emacs*. Is there any docs I want?

Not really, no.

Re: Where can I find some documents about the architecture of emacs?

[Pascal J. Bourguignon]

Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> writes:

>> Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2015 23:17:57 +0800
>> From: Navy Cheng <navych@126.com>
>> 
>> Hi, I want to learn something about the desgin of emacs and want to find the
>> elisp interpretor part of emacs. Now, I know the C part is in ./src, but I
>> don't know which file/files is about the interpretor.
>
> All of the C files are parts of the interpreter: they all implement
> primitive functions exposed by the interpreter to Lisp.
>
> If you are looking for the core parts of the interpreter, then look at
> data.c, eval.c, bytecode.c, and lread.c.  Perhaps also print.c.

Alternatively or additionnaly, you might want to have a look at the byte
compiler and virtual machine.

-- 
__Pascal Bourguignon__                 http://www.informatimago.com/
“The factory of the future will have only two employees, a man and a
dog. The man will be there to feed the dog. The dog will be there to
keep the man from touching the equipment.” -- Carl Bass CEO Autodesk

Re: Where can I find some documents about the architecture of emacs?

[Emanuel Berg]

Navy Cheng <navych@126.com> writes:

> I want to learn something about the desgin of emacs
> and want to find the elisp interpretor part of
> emacs. Now, I know the C part is in ./src, but
> I don't know which file/files is about
> the interpretor.
>
> I find that many of the documents in the source tree
> is about *how to use emacs* other than *the
> architecture of emacs*. Is there any docs I want?

First there is C, then there is Lisp. The C is an
ordinary compiled binary.

In Emacs, there is a kernel "process" that runs all
the time. When you don't do anything, the idle-timer
executes stuff that needs to be done, for example font
locking (or "syntax highlighting"). So Emacs is an OS
tho not a POSIX style OS (e.g., Unix, Linux).

Those OSs (the Unixes) are preemptive where processes
compete for CPU time - the kernel is basically
a scheduler - based on process metadata, e.g., an
integer to express priority, the scheduler controls
what process should gain access to computer resources,
including the very CPU for execution.

In Emacs there is no such competition as stuff gets
done when the user don't do anything - *idle*-timer,
remember? But, doesn't that mean you can stall the
whole thing by just doing stuff all the time? Yes!
But this odd form of stalling doesn't happen
in practice.

Because of the lack of competition (and preemption in
particular), the Emacs architecture is sometimes
called collaborative, which is a good word.
(Contrary to what some people think, collaborating
does not imply the people doing it being
soft-spoken aristocrats.)

There are people on this list that can tell you more,
but it is a start.

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

Re: Where can I find some documents about the architecture of emacs?

[Aurélien Aptel]

On Mon, Aug 24, 2015 at 5:17 PM, Navy Cheng <navych@126.com> wrote:
> Hi, I want to learn something about the desgin of emacs and want to find the
> elisp interpretor part of emacs. Now, I know the C part is in ./src, but I
> don't know which file/files is about the interpretor.
>
> I find that many of the documents in the source tree is about *how to use
> emacs* other than *the architecture of emacs*. Is there any docs I want?

http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/HackerGuide

Feel free to contribute!

Re: Where can I find some documents about the architecture of emacs?

[Emanuel Berg]

Aurélien Aptel <aurelien.aptel+emacs@gmail.com>
writes:

>> I want to learn something about the desgin of emacs
>> and want to find the elisp interpretor part of
>> emacs. Now, I know the C part is in ./src, but
>> I don't know which file/files is about the
>> interpretor. I find that many of the documents in
>> the source tree is about *how to use emacs* other
>> than *the architecture of emacs*. Is there any docs
>> I want?
>
> http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/HackerGuide
>
> Feel free to contribute!

It doesn't say anything of what I said so either I'm
wrong or no one bothered to add it.

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

Re: Where can I find some documents about the architecture of emacs?

[Dan Espen]

Emanuel Berg <embe8573@student.uu.se> writes:

> Aurélien Aptel <aurelien.aptel+emacs@gmail.com>
> writes:
>
>>> I want to learn something about the desgin of emacs
>>> and want to find the elisp interpretor part of
>>> emacs. Now, I know the C part is in ./src, but
>>> I don't know which file/files is about the
>>> interpretor. I find that many of the documents in
>>> the source tree is about *how to use emacs* other
>>> than *the architecture of emacs*. Is there any docs
>>> I want?
>>
>> http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/HackerGuide
>>
>> Feel free to contribute!
>
> It doesn't say anything of what I said so either I'm
> wrong or no one bothered to add it.

It's the Emacs wiki.
Add it yourself.

Even I have a couple of things there.

-- 
Dan Espen

Re: Where can I find some documents about the architecture of emacs?

[Emanuel Berg]

Dan Espen <despen@verizon.net> writes:

>> It doesn't say anything of what I said so either
>> I'm wrong or no one bothered to add it.
>
> It's the Emacs wiki. Add it yourself.
>
> Even I have a couple of things there.

"Even" you? :)

In this particular case, I'm only repeating what other
people have told me and what I've read in textbooks.
I was never closer to it than that so someone else can
write a better article, for sure.

As for adding stuff to the Emacs Wiki in general,
I never mastered the Wiki form, but I have all my
Elisp available, and some of it is useful! - so if
anyone feels and acts strongly for the Emacs Wiki,
feel free to add whatever, and however, from:

    http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573/emacs.html

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