[ANN] Emacs-Guix 0.3.1

[ANN] Emacs-Guix 0.3.1

[Alex Kost]

Hello, Emacs-Guix (Emacs interface for GNU Guix) has been updated to
version 0.3.1.  It can be installed with:

  guix package -i emacs-guix

This release was done mostly to be consistent with some recent changes
in Guix (introduced since Guix 0.12.0 release), i.e. to keep "M-x guix"
keys up-to-date and to add some 'guix' completions for "M-x shell".

There are only 2 new commands:

1. "M-x guix-info": it opens Emacs-Guix info manual (with C-u, it opens
   the Guix manual).  Thanks to George Clemmer (aka myglc2) for
   suggesting this command.

2. "M-x guix-services-from-system-config-file": well, this command is
   rather useless at the current state, as it just shows a list of
   services (for a specified "config.scm") and nothing more.

BTW, if you don't like to read "info", Emacs-Guix manual is available
online now:

  https://alezost.github.io/guix.el/manual/latest/html_node/index.html

Many thanks to George for the huge help with this task!

-- 
Alex

Emacs-Guix 0.3.1

[Fox]

  Alex Kost wrote:

> if you don't like to read "info", Emacs-Guix manual is available
> online now:

  https://alezost.github.io/guix.el/manual/latest/html_node/index.html


html sure is better workable than the "info" format.

But then, some GNU documentation suffers from lack of ability to explain 
things to folks who do NOT know it all already.

case in point:
https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_mono/eshell.html#Invocation


if you expected to be told how to invoke an eshell, forget it.
That whole manual is only useful if you ALREADY know that you need to 
press ALT-x eshell RETURN and the menus (where in a real editor such a 
function would be available) will let you down, so don't even bother to 
search eamcs menus for "eshell". So instead of reading the GNU manual on 
eshell you better do what you always do: google it and often times succeed.

Re: Emacs-Guix 0.3.1

[Clément Lassieur]

Fox <firefox@firemail.cc> writes:

>   Alex Kost wrote:
>
>> if you don't like to read "info", Emacs-Guix manual is available
>> online now:
>
>   https://alezost.github.io/guix.el/manual/latest/html_node/index.html
>
>
> html sure is better workable than the "info" format.

I prefer the 'info' format because:

- it makes it very easy to grep special characters (try to grep the pair
  syntax (a . b) in Google..., with info, just do: 's', then ' \. '),

- keyboard bindings (i, m...) are incredibly useful when you are looking
  for info on a general topic or keyword, e.g. G-exps in Guix, 'format'
  in Guile.

- it's offline.

> But then, some GNU documentation suffers from lack of ability to explain 
> things to folks who do NOT know it all already.
>
> case in point:
> https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_mono/eshell.html#Invocation
>
> if you expected to be told how to invoke an eshell, forget it.
> That whole manual is only useful if you ALREADY know that you need to 
> press ALT-x eshell RETURN and the menus (where in a real editor such a 
> function would be available) will let you down, so don't even bother to 
> search eamcs menus for "eshell". So instead of reading the GNU manual on 
> eshell you better do what you always do: google it and often times succeed.

Actually, the info you are looking for is in the Emacs manual
(https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Shell.html).

BTW if you don't know 'info', there is an 'info' manual that is very
helpful for people who do NOT know it all already:
(https://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/manual/info-stnd/info-stnd.html)

:-)

Re: Emacs-Guix 0.3.1

[Ricardo Wurmus]

Fox <firefox@firemail.cc> writes:

>   Alex Kost wrote:
>
>> if you don't like to read "info", Emacs-Guix manual is available
>> online now:
>
>   https://alezost.github.io/guix.el/manual/latest/html_node/index.html
>
>
> html sure is better workable than the "info" format.

Actually, I think Info is superior, not least because of the index.  In
an Info reader (Emacs, for example) you can hit “i” and start typing a
concept.  A well-written manual will take you right to the section
explaining the concept, even if the exact phrase is not used in the
manual text.

For those who aren’t yet familiar or comfortable with Info readers work
is underway to add some JavaScript to HTML pages that can be generated
from the Texinfo sources.  The added scripts would provide similar
features as a traditional Info reader application.

Until then I really recommend learning a bit about Info and how to use
it.  It’s a really good system and generally provides better results
than a web search.

If there are concepts that are not in the index we welcome patches to
add them.

> But then, some GNU documentation suffers from lack of ability to explain
> things to folks who do NOT know it all already.
>
> case in point:
> https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_mono/eshell.html#Invocation

The Eshell documentation has long suffered from a lack of good
documentation, so I think it’s not a good example.  There are
some truly outstanding Info manuals in GNU.  It can be fun to browse
them in a local Info reader.

--
Ricardo

GPG: BCA6 89B6 3655 3801 C3C6  2150 197A 5888 235F ACAC
https://elephly.net

Re: Emacs-Guix 0.3.1

[myglc2]

On 05/22/2017 at 08:21 Fox writes:

>  Alex Kost wrote:
>
>> if you don't like to read "info", Emacs-Guix manual is available
>> online now:
>
>  https://alezost.github.io/guix.el/manual/latest/html_node/index.html
>
>
> html sure is better workable than the "info" format.
>
> But then, some GNU documentation suffers from lack of ability to
> explain things to folks who do NOT know it all already.
>
> case in point:
> https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_mono/eshell.html#Invocation
>
>
> if you expected to be told how to invoke an eshell, forget it.
> That whole manual is only useful if you ALREADY know that you need to
> press ALT-x eshell RETURN and the menus (where in a real editor such a
> function would be available) will let you down, so don't even bother
> to search eamcs menus for "eshell". So instead of reading the GNU
> manual on eshell you better do what you always do: google it and often
> times succeed.


Actually, 'google it' failed you here: The top 'google eshell' didn't
answer you question.

If you had run emacs, typed 'M-x info m emacs C-s eshell C-s' you would
have read ...

   ‘M-x eshell’ invokes a shell implemented entirely in Emacs.  It is
documented in its own manual.  *Note Eshell: (eshell)Top.


google/HTML is worse than emacs/INFO for a number of reasons. One of
them: Google typically shows you the DOC for a different software
version than you are trying to use. So you end up wasting many hours
reading all about how the software you are running does NOT work and
wondering what on earth is wrong. If you will invest an hour learning
how to use emacs/INFO you will save many such hours ;-)


Agreed, the top 'google eshell' hit could be improved. If you 'google
eshell bugs' it takes you to ...

https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/eshell/Bugs-and-ideas.html

If, as it suggests, you run emacs type 'M-x report-emacs-bug' and attach
your original email, it might even be ;-)

Re: Emacs-Guix 0.3.1

[Ludovic Courtès]

Ricardo Wurmus <rekado@elephly.net> skribis:

> Actually, I think Info is superior, not least because of the index.  In
> an Info reader (Emacs, for example) you can hit “i” and start typing a
> concept.  A well-written manual will take you right to the section
> explaining the concept, even if the exact phrase is not used in the
> manual text.
>
> For those who aren’t yet familiar or comfortable with Info readers work
> is underway to add some JavaScript to HTML pages that can be generated
> from the Texinfo sources.  The added scripts would provide similar
> features as a traditional Info reader application.
>
> Until then I really recommend learning a bit about Info and how to use
> it.  It’s a really good system and generally provides better results
> than a web search.

BTW, the manual now has a “getting started” section on how to take
advantage of locally-installed documentation:

  https://www.gnu.org/software/guix/manual/html_node/Documentation.html

Ludo’.