Re: emacs and osx

[Jochem Huhmann <joh@gmx.net>]

Bob Hunter <catdogbeloved@yahoo.com> writes:

> Hello,
>
> there are a few ports of emacs to osx, and it is unclear whether the
> efforts are merging into the main gnu source code.

These "ports" are AFAIK nothing else than compiled CVS-Emacsen, spiced
up with some additional keybindings and such. 

OK, there is somewhere a Cocoa version of an ancient Emacs, based on
earlier work to port Emacs to NeXTStep. I don't know if it's that easy
to merge this into the main (current) code... 

> In principle, one should be able to download the latest from gnu and
> compile autonomously under osx, with no need to download old
> out-of-sync binaries. 

Exactly. Get the latest Emacs from the CVS, configure, make, install,
enjoy. It just works. This posting is written with a Emacs running on
Mac OS X, along with Carbon-GUI, anti-aliased fonts and everything,
compiled straight from the sources.

> I wonder what refrains the individual projects to work in a joint
> effort, to finally deliver this port, as osx is now in its fourth
> major release.

I guess as soon as there is a formal release of a new major Emacs
version, you will have a more or less "official" package. It's just that
there is (right now) nothing to "deliver", because there is not a
release yet.

BTW: All this chaos is not limited to Emacs. Look for almost any Open
Source app and you will find at least two or three different "ports" to
OS X floating around the net. There is Fink, darwinports and then
individual (binary) packages done by well-meaning people. Ever installed
a LaTeX system on OS X? I've been going through this just yesterday and
I can tell you, this is a hell of a mess. The average Linux- or
BSD-Distribution is lightyears ahead in terms of package management and
discipline among the porters. Apple made a terrible mistake by not
including a decent package management system along with a server
infrastructure right from the beginning, IMHO.


        Jochem

-- 
 "A designer knows he has arrived at perfection not when there is no 
 longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away."
 - Antoine de Saint-Exupery