From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Nikolaj Schumacher Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: basic question: going back to dired Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:50:51 +0200 Message-ID: References: <4884DC7F.6060406@gmail.com> <819feff4-76e3-4bf8-9ece-7b47f099efc2@j22g2000hsf.googlegroups.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1216731170 29243 80.91.229.12 (22 Jul 2008 12:52:50 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:52:50 +0000 (UTC) Cc: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org To: Xah Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Tue Jul 22 14:53:36 2008 Return-path: Envelope-to: geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1KLHMb-0004lT-UX for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:53:10 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:37659 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1KLHLi-0003nP-4K for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:52:14 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1KLHLH-0003n2-0j for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:51:47 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1KLHLG-0003mY-0q for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:51:46 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (port=35617 helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1KLHLF-0003mR-Q9 for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:51:45 -0400 Original-Received: from fmmailgate03.web.de ([217.72.192.234]:59051) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1KLHLF-0007Xm-8T for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:51:45 -0400 Original-Received: from smtp06.web.de (fmsmtp06.dlan.cinetic.de [172.20.5.172]) by fmmailgate03.web.de (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0A910E4B30D5; Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:51:18 +0200 (CEST) Original-Received: from [136.199.55.225] (helo=aragorn.uni-trier.de) by smtp06.web.de with asmtp (WEB.DE 4.109 #226) id 1KLHKn-0004KV-00; Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:51:17 +0200 In-Reply-To: <819feff4-76e3-4bf8-9ece-7b47f099efc2@j22g2000hsf.googlegroups.com> (Xah's message of "Mon\, 21 Jul 2008 23\:04\:13 -0700 \(PDT\)") User-Agent: Gnus/5.11 (Gnus v5.11) Emacs/22.1 (gnu/linux) X-Sender: n_schumacher@web.de X-Provags-ID: V01U2FsdGVkX1+NF8oX3BctALsPGkVwb6Bpja/YdoxzbCLxKgx4 X6PXwQHs4dafilt3iLC2k/60BAO2VCrAfqM5WOr5CuK/C6SufK 50gZ/KhIFJd1Jb09kUqA== X-detected-kernel: by monty-python.gnu.org: Linux 2.4-2.6 X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:55795 Archived-At: Xah wrote: > I don't think its a good idea to teach or insist that people adopt > emacs's terminologies. I don't think its a good idea to teach or insist that people learn French before going to Paris. French is a language that has been adopted by France in the 1530s when there really weren't any other other languages around, except big mainframe languages like Latin. In the 20th century English developed as a > The reason emacs uses the technical terminologies throughout is > because when emacs started in the 1980s, there really isn't any other > text editors or even software applications. And, emacs users are all > computer scientists and programers. I think it's a ridiculous idea to teach someone English before going to Paris. Of course English is spoken pretty much everywhere in the world, and it would arguably easier to stay in Paris if the > > In particular, the term buffer is unsuitable and outdated. See the > following argument: > > ---------------------------- > > Q: The Terminology =E2=80=9Cbuffer=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9Ckeybinding=E2=80= =9D is good as they are. > > A: > The terminology =E2=80=9Cbuffer=E2=80=9D or =E2=80=9Ckeybinding=E2=80=9D,= are technical terms having > to do with software programing. The term =E2=80=9Ckeybinding=E2=80=9D ref= ers to the > association of a keystroke with a command in a technical, software > application programing context. That is to say, a programer =E2=80=9Cbind= =E2=80=9D a > keystroke event to a command in a software application. The term > =E2=80=9Cbuffer=E2=80=9D refers to a abstract, temporary area for storing= data, in the > context of programing or computer science. > > These terms are irrelevant to the users of a software application. > > As a user of a text editor, he works with files. The terms =E2=80=9Copened > file=E2=80=9D or =E2=80=9Cuntitled file=E2=80=9D are more appropriate tha= n =E2=80=9Cbuffer=E2=80=9D. Since > emacs is also used for many things beside reading files or writing to > files, for example, file management, ftp/sftp, shell, email, irc etc., > the proper term can be =E2=80=9Cpanel=E2=80=9D, =E2=80=9Cwindow=E2=80=9D,= or =E2=80=9Cwork area=E2=80=9D. (All modern > editors and IDEs use these terms, even though they are all buffers > too) > > And, the term =E2=80=9Ckeyboard shortcut=E2=80=9D refers to typing of a k= ey- > combination to activate a command. It is also more appropriate than > =E2=80=9Cbinding=E2=80=9D or =E2=80=9Ckeybinding=E2=80=9D. > > Although concepts like =E2=80=9Cbuffer=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9Ckeybinding= =E2=80=9D are seemingly > interchangeable with =E2=80=9Cpanel=E2=80=9D or =E2=80=9Ckeyboard shortcu= t=E2=80=9D, but their > contexts set them apart. This is why in all modern software > application's user documentations, terms like =E2=80=9Cbuffer=E2=80=9D or= =E2=80=9Ckeybinding=E2=80=9D > are not to be seen but =E2=80=9Cwindows, panes, tabs, workspace, and keyb= oard > shortcuts=E2=80=9D. > > The reason emacs uses the technical terminologies throughout is > because when emacs started in the 1980s, there really isn't any other > text editors or even software applications. And, emacs users are all > computer scientists and programers. > > Note that Emacs does officially recognize the term Keyboard Shortcut. > The following is a excerpt from glossary section of the official emacs > manual from emacs 22: > > Keyboard Shortcut > A keyboard shortcut is a key sequence (q.v.) which invokes a > command. What some programs call "assigning a keyboard shortcut," > Emacs calls "binding a key sequence." See `binding.' > > ------------------- > > from =E2=80=9CModernization of Emacs=E2=80=9D > http://xahlee.org/emacs/modernization.html > > Xah > =E2=88=91 http://xahlee.org/ > > =E2=98=84 > > On Jul 21, 4:21 pm, Bastien wrote: >> Ben Aurel writes: >> > My question is simple: When I list some files in dired mode I select o= ne >> > file to edit. Now how can I close this file and go back to dired witho= ut >> > closing emacs? >> >> Don't think in terms of "file". When editing a "file", you really edit >> a buffer* containing the content of the file. To "close" the file >> generally means to save the buffer and to kill the buffer. >> >> If you just want to "go back" to dired, you just need to switch back to >> the buffer containing the directory listing: C-x b RET >> >> If you want to "close the file", then first save the buffer with C-x C-s >> then kill the buffer with C-x k RET and you should be back to the buffer >> containing the directory listing. >> >> HTH, >> >> * Press `C-x C-e' after the closing parenthesis to jump to the info page >> describing the concept of "buffer" inside GNU Emacs: >> >> (info "(emacs)Buffers") >> >> -- >> Bastien > regards, Nikolaj Schumacher