Re: Speeding up Emacs load time

[Emanuel Berg <embe8573@student.uu.se>]

Bob Proulx <bob@proulx.com> writes:

> I looked at your .emacs file.  It is rather extensive.  Time
> consuming parts are usually anytime you (require 'foo) or (load
> "foo").  Do you really need all of those executed each and every
> time you start emacs?  Probably not.

OK, this is one way to think. There is another way to think. The
other way to think is: one second at x does not equal one second
at y. When you start Emacs, you are not in a rush. You make sure
you work place is organized. You fetch water, books. You relax you
shoulders. Whatever. Here, you do have time to wait. However, when
you are attentively at work, and you have one million thoughts in
your head at once, you just need to bring up some Emacs
functionality with a minimal delay. Here, time is much more
important. It is like the super-focused people playing ice hockey
or sparring for a boxing fight - for them, 10 seconds is like an
eternity. When you, as a programmer, reaches that highest peak of
productivity/focus, you don't want to load any modules, possible
creating havoc, that (at worst) could take you from what you were
doing. Super-focus, once lost, cannot easily be recovered. So, my
piece of advice: be safe, first load everything safe and sound,
then do your worst to the actual problem you try so solve, with
minimal interference.

-- 
Emanuel Berg - programmer (hire me! CV below)
computer projects: http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573
internet activity: http://home.student.uu.se/embe8573