Re: updating /usr/bin/emacs

[Xah <xahlee@gmail.com>]

On Oct 17, 11:58 am, Brian Brooks <brian.bro...@colorado.edu> wrote:
> Hello.  I am currently running OS X 10.5.5.
>
> I use emacs within Terminal.app by running the command 'emacs' which
> launches /usr/bin/emacs.  Though, this uses GNU Emacs 22.1.1 (mac-
> apple-darwin, Carbon Version 1.6.0) -- which is the emacs that the MBP
> shipped with I presume.
>
> I would like to update to Emacs 22.3 (or whatever is the latest).
> Although I don't want to install a duplicate copy of emacs.  I've
> noticed that by installing emacs versions like Carbon Emacs or
> AquaEmacs seems to just install a separate copy of Emacs with a GUI
> and all that.
>
> I would just like to update /usr/bin/emacs to whatever the latest
> version of emacs is and still be able to run it within Terminal.app
>
> How do I go about doing that? Thanks!

it is generally not recommended to diddle anything in the default OS X
dirs such as /usr/bin. e.g. if you want to update your perl, python,
you'd better off install it elsewhere, e.g. fink does in /sw/ and
MacPorts in /opt/.

my own experience is that you can do fine if you do it in /usr/bin/
local. And it is most safe if you do it in “~/bin/”

in the case of emacs, perhaps there's no problem since emacs and its
subsystems isn't much run as a script engine as do perl that the OS
actually depends on. (however, emacs requires few other packages such
as png lib, encryption, etc. So, if the new emacs needs newer version
of these, you run into problem)

But if you insist on replacing /usr/bin/emacs, you could just do it in
the usual way, by compiling the source and set the install dir to /usr/
bin and /usr/share/emacs etc.

there's little reason you really want to though. My recommendation is
just to install Carbon emacs. Then, you can start it in terminal by:

/Applications/Emacs.app/Contents/MacOS/Emacs -nw

If you just want to type “emacs” to start it, then you just define a
alias in “~/.bash_profile”. Like this:

alias emacs="/Applications/Emacs.app/Contents/MacOS/Emacs -nw";

(don't remember if alias has precedence than shell commands... but you
can easily find out or use sym link)

  Xah
∑ http://xahlee.org/

☄