Re: multiple Emacs versions on w32

["B. T. Raven" <ecinmn@peoplepc.com>]

"Eli Zaretskii" <eliz@gnu.org> wrote in message
news:mailman.73.1142450879.9686.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org...
> > From: "B. T. Raven" <ecinmn@peoplepc.com>
> > Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 15:59:37 GMT
> >
> > I am using both 21.3 and 22.0.50.1 on the same machine (w32-msw98).
> > Autoexec.bat has "set HOME=d:\emacs"; emacs 21.3 is in
d:\emacs\emacs21.3
> > and the cvs version is in e:\emacs\emacs. Both start with --debug-init
> > which doesn't report any problems. Since the .emacs is in the home
> > directory, the two versions are stomping all over each other.
>
> Why would you need two versions of Emacs on the same machine?  If
> that's because the CVS version crashes, then (a) report the crashes,
> and (b) don't use the CVS version until the crashes are fixed.

i. I want to start learning 22.0 whether it works perfectly or not.

ii. I tried to report bugs to the address published in emacs itself
(emacs-devel@gnu.org), but nothing happened and then to the ng
gnu.emacs.bugs but my posting didn't appear there either. Finally Eli had
to send me instructions on how to install an msw version of gdb so that I
could start emacs in that environment. The bottom line is that I don't
know enough yet to start reporting bugs. This msw98 os seems to be held
together with spit and string and my reporting of symptoms would be too
nebulous to be of any help to the developers. All I know is that the
system either bluescreens or blackscreens about 10 times more frequently
with 22 running than with 21.

iii. emacs-build-time for ver. 22 is (17372 40543 497000) if that's any
help.


>
> > Is there any way that I can parameterize the invocation of the two
> > versions or at least set them up so as to allow each one to load its
> > own separate version of the dotemacs?
>
> One way to do that is to have 2 batch files that set HOME (each one to
> a different place) before they run runemacs.exe.
>
> > For now I use the cvs version only for its more complete
> > documentation and for tutorial purposes since it won't run for
> > longer than a couple of hours without causing a segmentation fault.
>
> I use the CVS version exclusively, and it runs for weeks without
> crashing.  So please report the crashes (to emacs-devel@gnu.org),
> because they shouldn't happen.

Thanks again Eli, Phillip, Lennart, and Peter. Eli's solution worked at
about the 90th percentile. I have emacs1.bat and emacs2.bat with Set
HOME=.... and then a runemacs --debug-init called with an absolute path to
the respective bin subdirectories. The only (maybe) thing that doesn't
work is the working directory specified in  the shortcut to the emacs2.bat
file. default-directory is set to HOME rather than this document
subdirectory. emac1.bat works correctly it even uses use-file-dialog
correctly, which 22.0.50.1 doesn't do.

Ed.