From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Emanuel Berg Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: Is Emacs very alive, active and improving? Date: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 23:55:17 +0200 Organization: Aioe.org NNTP Server Message-ID: <87r4ddo4yp.fsf@nl106-137-194.student.uu.se> References: NNTP-Posting-Host: plane.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1377727220 2523 80.91.229.3 (28 Aug 2013 22:00:20 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 22:00:20 +0000 (UTC) To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Thu Aug 29 00:00:24 2013 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 1VEnmp-0001V0-4j for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Thu, 29 Aug 2013 00:00:23 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:38829 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1VEnmo-0006sf-Qs for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Wed, 28 Aug 2013 18:00:22 -0400 Original-Path: usenet.stanford.edu!news.kjsl.com!feeder.erje.net!eu.feeder.erje.net!news.mixmin.net!aioe.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail Original-Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.help Original-Lines: 26 Original-NNTP-Posting-Host: VVbyYd/iFZoeWNmD9i++cQ.user.speranza.aioe.org Original-X-Complaints-To: abuse@aioe.org User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/23.4 (gnu/linux) X-Notice: Filtered by postfilter v. 0.8.2 Cancel-Lock: sha1:jmWCmr98TatBLee8LxyI9pORN7g= Original-Xref: usenet.stanford.edu gnu.emacs.help:200878 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:93146 Archived-At: wgreenhouse@riseup.net (W. Greenhouse) writes: > I don't think Google Trends is an accurate measure of how many > people are using Emacs, because Emacs is largely > self-documenting, not just through the Info manuals but also > from the dynamically generated documentation from Elisp programs > themselves. I've heard that Emacs is self-documenting numerous times, and, if this refers to the docstrings of Elisp functions, I have to say "self-documenting" is stretching the truth. The docstrings are a handy way to provide documentation, and the Emacs access to that documentation is provided instantly upon evaluation of the defun (of if it is some other thing: a variable, perhaps). This is all well and good, but the documentation has to be written nonetheless, like any other documentation. Emacs can also tell you the parameters of a function, where it is defined (and provide hyperlinks), etc., and this is indispensable knowledge, for sure - but perhaps not "documentation" as much as a specification for a person who already knows the workings. -- Emanuel Berg - programmer (hire me! CV below) computer projects: http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573 internet activity: http://home.student.uu.se/embe8573