From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Greg Hill Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: what is the point of point-min? Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2003 14:11:30 -0700 Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Message-ID: References: <3F4E2B31.5070904@yahoo.com> <84n0dtfsz3.fsf@slowfox.is.informatik.uni-duisburg.de> NNTP-Posting-Host: deer.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" ; format="flowed" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1062105645 22154 80.91.224.253 (28 Aug 2003 21:20:45 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2003 21:20:45 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Thu Aug 28 23:20:43 2003 Return-path: Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by deer.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 19sUCB-0007kp-00 for ; Thu, 28 Aug 2003 23:20:43 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.22) id 19sUA6-0000NG-FU for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Thu, 28 Aug 2003 17:18:34 -0400 Original-Received: from list by monty-python.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.22) id 19sU59-0006sQ-T9 for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Thu, 28 Aug 2003 17:13:27 -0400 Original-Received: from mail by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.22) id 19sU56-0006rB-Qk for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Thu, 28 Aug 2003 17:13:25 -0400 Original-Received: from [153.105.4.30] (helo=synergymicro.com) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.22) id 19sU54-0006L9-G5 for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Thu, 28 Aug 2003 17:13:22 -0400 Original-Received: from synergy.synergy.encinitas.ca.us ([153.105.4.29]) by synergymicro.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id OAA28860 for ; Thu, 28 Aug 2003 14:13:42 -0700 Original-Received: from [198.17.100.22] (G_Hill_Mac [198.17.100.22]) by synergy.synergy.encinitas.ca.us (8.12.8/8.12.8) with ESMTP id h7SLC0IB004466 for ; Thu, 28 Aug 2003 14:12:00 -0700 In-Reply-To: <84n0dtfsz3.fsf@slowfox.is.informatik.uni-duisburg.de> Original-To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.2 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 Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:12150 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.help:12150 At 10:05 PM +0200 8/28/03, Kai Gro=DFjohann wrote: >Jesper Harder writes: > >> If they were Lisp functions I would have just read the source. But >> >> * I hate reading C. > >Well, reading Emacs C code is very unlike reading other C code, so >please do give it a try. Indeed it is. In fact, until you have mastered the peculiar coding conventions it adheres to, including the usage of ten billion #defined terms whose meanings are far from obvious, it is very VERY much more difficult than reading any other C code that I have ever encountered. For all intents and purposes, Emacs C is a language unto itself, whose mastery is much more difficult than any "general purpose" language like LISP. Though not by any means a "C guru," I have done a fair amount of both writing C code from scratch and maintaining other people's C code; and I have long-since concluded that looking at the C source for Emacs hoping to figure out what it is doing is a total waste of my time. I have never made any significant progress in anything close to a reasonable amount of time. So "give it a try" at the risk of your sanity. And don't feel bad it the experience leaves you feeling totally frustrated, irritated and alienated. --Greg