From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Bob Proulx Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: Emacs Book Vs Emacs Manuals Date: Mon, 18 May 2015 14:57:08 -0600 Message-ID: <20150518144901429229292@bob.proulx.com> References: <554C9356.5000204@gmail.com> <20150508125314086261755@bob.proulx.com> <87bnhuc177.fsf@mbork.pl> <55561B9E.4070101@arlsoft.com> <87y4kpfvct.fsf@debian.uxu> NNTP-Posting-Host: plane.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1431982656 2130 80.91.229.3 (18 May 2015 20:57:36 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 18 May 2015 20:57:36 +0000 (UTC) To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Mon May 18 22:57:32 2015 Return-path: Envelope-to: geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([208.118.235.17]) by plane.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1YuS6M-00008d-00 for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Mon, 18 May 2015 22:57:30 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:42920 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1YuS6K-0005IZ-SJ for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Mon, 18 May 2015 16:57:28 -0400 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:35468) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1YuS6A-0005IK-CJ for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Mon, 18 May 2015 16:57:19 -0400 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1YuS66-0000SK-Tz for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Mon, 18 May 2015 16:57:18 -0400 Original-Received: from joseki.proulx.com ([216.17.153.58]:56839) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1YuS66-0000Es-ER for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Mon, 18 May 2015 16:57:14 -0400 Original-Received: from hysteria.proulx.com (hysteria.proulx.com [192.168.230.119]) by joseki.proulx.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 11AF421232 for ; Mon, 18 May 2015 14:57:09 -0600 (MDT) Original-Received: by hysteria.proulx.com (Postfix, from userid 1000) id DABE22DC4F; Mon, 18 May 2015 14:57:08 -0600 (MDT) Mail-Followup-To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.23 (2014-03-12) X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 3.x X-Received-From: 216.17.153.58 X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14 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 Original-Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:104481 Archived-At: Yuri Khan wrote: > Emanuel Berg wrote: > > Keyboard macros is poor-man's programming and while > > they can be useful in many situations it is in many > > more situations better to write proper Lisp. When one > > gets some fluency with it it is not only infinitely > > more powerful (obviously) but also faster, safer, and > > less frustrating than keyboard macros. > > For recurring tasks, yes. But for a one-off highly repetitive task, a > macro is cheaper to set up. > > Also, macros can be viewed as a gateway drug to programming. I have been writing programs for quite a long time. I also use emacs macros quite a lot too. Both have their proper place. In my mind macros are mostly interactive while programs are mostly non-interactive. With a macro it is like using a carving tool on a piece of wood to create a sculpture. With a program it is like building a jig to create as many sculptures as desired. It takes more effort to create a program but having done so it pays more return. But if just doing something one-off then a macro is less effort. Bob