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: [screenshot] Emacs instant colors (and the Elisp full cycle) Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2015 00:39:03 +0200 Organization: Aioe.org NNTP Server Message-ID: <87zj61w1h4.fsf@debian.uxu> References: <874moae3ub.fsf@debian.uxu> NNTP-Posting-Host: plane.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1429655725 29952 80.91.229.3 (21 Apr 2015 22:35:25 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 21 Apr 2015 22:35:25 +0000 (UTC) To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Wed Apr 22 00:35:24 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 1YkglH-0003zZ-Ei for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Wed, 22 Apr 2015 00:35:23 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:60630 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1YkglG-0006jy-Ub for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Tue, 21 Apr 2015 18:35:22 -0400 Original-Path: usenet.stanford.edu!news.kjsl.com!feeder.erje.net!1.eu.feeder.erje.net!news2.arglkargh.de!news.mixmin.net!aioe.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail Original-Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.help Original-Lines: 73 Original-NNTP-Posting-Host: feB02bRejf23rfBm51Mt7Q.user.speranza.aioe.org Original-X-Complaints-To: abuse@aioe.org User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/24.4 (gnu/linux) X-Notice: Filtered by postfilter v. 0.8.2 Cancel-Lock: sha1:gMs4SBehharAY5nx3UYo8hR5r28= Mail-Copies-To: never Original-Xref: usenet.stanford.edu gnu.emacs.help:211637 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:103919 Archived-At: Rusi writes: >> If you understand exactly what I mean, take a look >> at this screenshot to be even more confused: >> >> http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573/pics/instant-colors.png > > Cute! Ain't it the truth! But it is also practical because often you do not remember what face is which color. For the purists, agreed, this is non-textbook usage because the thought is of course to set those faces to something sensible (sensible colors) *once*, and from that point use the faces semantically, to express purpose - the assumption being their color values make sense. However, it has happened to me many times that I do *not* use them that way but instead use them as mere (?) placeholders for face colors, and then it is very useful to just type the face name to see the color it represents. Besides, in principle it doesn't conflicts supposedly (?) proper usage to have them in cool colors, only then that is more a cool stunt rather than an advantage in productivity as well. > As it happens I was trying to illustrate/educate > folks on the python list on something very similar > about the nature and power of lisp: > > https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.lang.python/QF0-A1F4miw/GOHMu0HNZocJ Holly would if she could. If you have a non-JavaScript version of that I'll read it. > If you tell me the underlying machinery, I'll point > them to it. [Or of course you can join that > conversation] You ask me to tell you so THEY will understand? :) Well, in the smallest possible picture, it is very simple. When the face names themselves are typed in a buffer, they appear in the same color as they would give the entities that are associated with them. This makes it is easier to set up such associations because you can see on the face name what the result will be. What this illustrates on a somewhat bigger scale is that Elisp is used to improve the tool which you use to write Elisp. On the biggest scale it is the computer exponential success story with computers and programmers taking turns making each other better. That is in principle equally true with bulky compiled languages (like C), however with Lisp (and not just this particular example) you can feel it instantly. It is a mighty realization, even for a might programmer. Did that make sense? Perhaps only to people who already understand it. Remember the words of Saint Morpheus: "Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself." -- underground experts united http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573