From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: kgold@watson.ibm.com (kgold) Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: Init error message Date: 13 Mar 2003 14:21:16 GMT Organization: IBM T.J. Watson Research Center Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+gnu-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Message-ID: References: <1fgba.43206$sf5.31886@rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net> <8765qq1ee2.fsf@china.shootybangbang.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org X-Trace: main.gmane.org 1047566201 16198 80.91.224.249 (13 Mar 2003 14:36:41 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@main.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2003 14:36:41 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+gnu-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Thu Mar 13 15:36:40 2003 Return-path: Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 18tTom-0004C0-00 for ; Thu, 13 Mar 2003 15:36:24 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.10.13) id 18tTnx-000592-04 for gnu-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Thu, 13 Mar 2003 09:35:33 -0500 Original-Path: shelby.stanford.edu!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news.uchicago.edu!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uwm.edu!newsfeed.cs.utexas.edu!geraldo.cc.utexas.edu!an02.austin.ibm.com!ausnews.austin.ibm.com!newsfeed.btv.ibm.com!news.btv.ibm.com!kgold Original-Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.help Original-Lines: 25 Original-NNTP-Posting-Host: alpha.watson.ibm.com Original-X-Trace: news.btv.ibm.com 1047565276 40868 9.2.16.245 (13 Mar 2003 14:21:16 GMT) Original-X-Complaints-To: news@btv.ibm.com Original-NNTP-Posting-Date: 13 Mar 2003 14:21:16 GMT X-Newsreader: xrn 9.01 Originator: kgold@watson.ibm.com Original-Xref: shelby.stanford.edu gnu.emacs.help:111058 Original-To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1b5 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Archive: List-Unsubscribe: , Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+gnu-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:7558 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.help:7558 Not a whine, but certainly a pet peeve of mine. I would find the on-line help and .el file comments a lot more helpful if it actually showed sample lisp code, instead of saying "set the variable foo to bar" and leaving the novice to figure out how to do it. The good news is: - the experts here seem infinitely patient and willing to help. - you can cut and paste a lot of working code directly to your .emacs - if you like 'customize', it will write lisp for you Kevin Reeder writes: > However, I need to get grounded in working with this .emacs file. The > syntax is a mystery and I just want to use the editor! Probably a common > whine. Is the only option to learn enough of LISP to hack it profitably > without having to cry for help over every little init error msg? -- -- Ken Goldman kgold@watson.ibm.com 914-784-7646