From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: William Case Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: what to do? Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:54:09 -0500 Message-ID: <1258494849.13690.90.camel@CASE> References: <60223541-3D1E-448A-AC70-2D36EB3BDCBF@gmail.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1258495694 11883 80.91.229.12 (17 Nov 2009 22:08:14 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:08:14 +0000 (UTC) Cc: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org To: Devin LaCrosse Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Tue Nov 17 23:08:08 2009 Return-path: Envelope-to: geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1NAWDX-000861-Qd for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:08:08 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:56252 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1NAWDX-0006WS-9x for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:08:07 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1NAW3w-0001Li-14 for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:58:12 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1NAW3q-0001El-U3 for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:58:11 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (port=43085 helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1NAW3q-0001EY-PY for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:58:06 -0500 Original-Received: from smtp126.rog.mail.re2.yahoo.com ([206.190.53.31]:21362) by monty-python.gnu.org with smtp (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1NAW3q-0006J3-CX for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:58:06 -0500 Original-Received: (qmail 57024 invoked from network); 17 Nov 2009 21:58:04 -0000 DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; s=s1024; d=rogers.com; h=Received:X-Yahoo-SMTP:X-YMail-OSG:X-Yahoo-Newman-Property:Subject:From:To:Cc:In-Reply-To:References:Content-Type:Date:Message-Id:Mime-Version:X-Mailer:Content-Transfer-Encoding; b=YtJ55Y0O9NATHmivkfVNhgsyb/gGfWWRpi7I58F3fd00cDYlzrj1Ge6EogPcDn8SupHZyj53tV+yhVSd3QhnMJmXDIcdYELENe4sYnX1xYwptNPKzjgg9FHBwxXHh2fBRVn/1Rzy0uCjaGIyaOW+2BMq86y+WWeLEvVdw0w4+iM= ; Original-Received: from CPE0040f491178d-CM000e5cdfdba0.cpe.net.cable.rogers.com (billlinux@99.245.242.141 with plain) by smtp126.rog.mail.re2.yahoo.com with SMTP; 17 Nov 2009 13:58:04 -0800 PST X-Yahoo-SMTP: 7X7OtiSswBAcvcTfZzvpTnDh0dXvfrdNxDwinW3exNEf X-YMail-OSG: 0w3rx0cVM1lXDiLALyaUPMZIJ90NCafaJxzi1sjr422hrcNaVX55ea0o4xxqFN90Bw-- X-Yahoo-Newman-Property: ymail-3 In-Reply-To: <60223541-3D1E-448A-AC70-2D36EB3BDCBF@gmail.com> X-Mailer: Evolution 2.26.3 (2.26.3-1.fc11) X-detected-operating-system: by monty-python.gnu.org: FreeBSD 4.7-5.2 (or MacOS X 10.2-10.4) (2) X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:69856 Archived-At: Hi Devin; Assuming that this is not a troll question; it is a tough question to answer. There are books and books on how to use text editors in general and Emacs in particular. But I remember discovering the existence of Emacs the same way you did five or six years ago. So lets see if we can get started with some real basic basics. On Tue, 2009-11-17 at 00:08 -0800, Devin LaCrosse wrote: > i just recently discovered emacs on my new macbook pro. I read the > tutorial, i know how to navigate around emacs a bit. The one question > that's eating me up inside I can't seem to find answer for. Perhaps > you could help me? I very interested in computer science, emacs > appears to be an awesome program, I don't know how to program (yet) I > want to learn how. Can you please explain to me (as if i was 5 years > old ) what do i use/do with emacs i.e, make video games, websites, > math programs, please tell me!!!....Thanks in advance for i am excited > to use this newly discovered program. > To write a computer program you have to have a particular computer language program installed on your machine in order write human meaningful instructions for the program in a particular language (e.g. C, C++, python, lisp etc.) What you end up with after you have written each piece of your program is what is called a source file. A source file is meaningful (sort of) to a human. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_languages http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_programming_languages Once you have written your program all of the words have to be changed to a form (0's and 1's called object or binary files) that is useful for a electronic machine which has millions of on/off switches (transistors). These switches open and close millions of different electrical circuits within the machine. The flow of electricity activates or closes different parts of the Central Processing Unit, Memory and Peripherals. A program uses various combinations of these circuits in rapid succession to accomplish a task. There are special programs called compilers that are capable of taking each word you have written in your source file and looking up and substituting the equivalent binary instruction(s). Some commercial programming language packages come with compilers included. And some compilers like gcc can handle several different languages. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compilers So, to write the kind of program you are talking about you need the program and libraries for the computer program you are going to use; Some type of editing program on your computer that allows you to write the program; and a compiling program that turns everything into machine language. Emacs is the editing program -- not the programming language and not the compiler. To clarify, they are called text editors because they are used to write and edit the textual source program. They are not very good at writing prettified published text such as articles, documents, books, etc. (Although there are ways around that -- but that is a pretty advanced topic dealing with programs designed for publishing like LaTex). Text editors must have some onerous restrictions in order to keep the text pure enough for the compiler to read i.e. no embedded codes that might confuse the compiler about what was actually meant e.g. no bold, no underline, no change in font size etc. Emacs has been around a long time and has been continually improved and updated with more and more features that are of interest mainly to programmers and developers. It has sometimes been accused jokingly as being an Operating System unto itself. One word of advice. Never ever mention its nearest rival, vi(m), on an Emacs list. Such a slip up in good manners will start a holy war that won't end until next week. -- Regards Bill Fedora 11, Gnome 2.26.3 Evo.2.26.3, Emacs 23.1.1