|
|
|
|
|
How I started with Emacs
|
|
|
|
|
|
########################
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
:date: 2016-11-03T09:58:41Z
|
|
|
|
|
|
:category: blog
|
|
|
|
|
|
:tags: emacs
|
|
|
|
|
|
:url: 2016/11/03/how-i-started-with-emacs/
|
|
|
|
|
|
:save_as: 2016/11/03/how-i-started-with-emacs/index.html
|
|
|
|
|
|
:status: published
|
|
|
|
|
|
:author: Gergely Polonkai
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sacha Chua has a nice `Emacs chat intro <http://sachachua.com/blog/2013/04/emacs-chat-intro/>`_
|
|
|
|
|
|
article back from 2013. I write this post half because she asks there about my (OK, anyone’s)
|
|
|
|
|
|
first Emacs moments, and half because I plan to do it for months now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I wanted to start using Emacs 6(ish) years ago, and I was like “:kbd:`C-x` what”? (Note that back
|
|
|
|
|
|
around 1998, I was among the people who exited ``vi`` by killing it from another terminal after a
|
|
|
|
|
|
bunch of tries & fails like `these <http://osxdaily.com/2014/06/12/how-to-quit-vim/>`_.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I tried to come back to Emacs a lot of times. And I mean a *lot*, about every two months. I
|
|
|
|
|
|
suddenly learned what these cryptic key chord descriptions mean (``C`` is for :kbd:`Control` and
|
|
|
|
|
|
``M`` is for :kbd:`Meta`, which is actually :kbd:`Alt`), but somehow it didn’t *click*. I
|
|
|
|
|
|
remained a ViM power user with a huge pile of 3:sup:`rd` party plugins. Then `I found Nyan-macs
|
|
|
|
|
|
<{filename}2014-09-17-nyanmacs.rst>`_), which converted me to Emacs, and it is final now. Many of
|
|
|
|
|
|
my friends thought I’m just kidding this being the cause, but I’m not. I’m a huge fan of Nyan cat
|
|
|
|
|
|
(did you know there is even a site called `nyan.cat <http://nyan.cat/>`_?) and since then I have
|
|
|
|
|
|
it in my mode line:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. image:: {static}../images/nyan-modeline.png
|
|
|
|
|
|
:alt: Nyan modeline
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
…in my ``eshell`` prompt:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. image:: {static}../images/nyan-eshell.png
|
|
|
|
|
|
:alt: eshell prompt with a Nyan cat
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
…and I also `zone out <https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/ZoneMode>`_ with Nyan cat:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. image:: {static}../images/nyan-zone.png
|
|
|
|
|
|
:alt: a text-based animation with Nyan cat
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Now on to more serious stuff. After browsing through all the packages provided by `ELPA
|
|
|
|
|
|
<http://elpa.gnu.org/>`_, I found tons of useful (and sometimes, less useful) packages, like `Helm
|
|
|
|
|
|
<https://github.com/emacs-helm/helm/wiki>`_, `company <http://company-mode.github.io/>`_, `gtags
|
|
|
|
|
|
<https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/GnuGlobal>`_ (which introduced me to GNU Global, removing
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exuberant ctags from my life), `magit <https://magit.vc/>`_, `Projectile
|
|
|
|
|
|
<http://batsov.com/projectile/>`_, and `Org <http://orgmode.org/>`_ (OK, it’s actually part of
|
|
|
|
|
|
Emacs for a while, but still). I still use these few, but in a month or two, I started to
|
|
|
|
|
|
`version control <https://github.com/gergelypolonkai/my-emacs-d>`_ my ``.emacs.d`` directory, so I
|
|
|
|
|
|
can easily transfer it between my home and work machine (and for a few weeks now, even to my
|
|
|
|
|
|
phone: I’m using Termux on Android). Then, over these two years I wrote some packages like
|
|
|
|
|
|
`GobGen <https://github.com/gergelypolonkai/gobgen.el>`_, and a small addon for Calendar providing
|
|
|
|
|
|
`Hungarian holidays <https://github.com/gergelypolonkai/hungarian-holidays>`_, and I found a lot
|
|
|
|
|
|
more (in no particular order):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* `git-gutter <https://github.com/syohex/emacs-git-gutter>`_
|
|
|
|
|
|
* `multiple-cursors <https://github.com/magnars/multiple-cursors.el>`_
|
|
|
|
|
|
* `origami <https://github.com/gregsexton/origami.el>`_
|
|
|
|
|
|
* `ace-window <https://github.com/abo-abo/ace-window>`_
|
|
|
|
|
|
* `avy <https://github.com/abo-abo/avy>`_
|
|
|
|
|
|
* `beacon <https://github.com/Malabarba/beacon>`_
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
…and a lot more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What is more important (to me) is that I started using the `use-package
|
|
|
|
|
|
<https://github.com/jwiegley/use-package>`_ package, which can automatically download packages
|
|
|
|
|
|
that are not installed on my current local system. Together with `auto-package-update
|
|
|
|
|
|
<https://github.com/rranelli/auto-package-update.el>`_, it is *very* practical.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In addition, I started to follow the blogs of a bunch of Emacs users/gurus. I’ve already
|
|
|
|
|
|
mentioned `Sacha Chua <http://sachachua.com/>`_. She’s a charming, cheerful person, writing a lot
|
|
|
|
|
|
about Emacs and project management (among other things). Another one is `Bozhidar Batsov
|
|
|
|
|
|
<http://batsov.com/>`_, who, among other things, had an initiate to lay down the foundation of a
|
|
|
|
|
|
`common Elisp coding style <https://github.com/bbatsov/emacs-lisp-style-guide>`_. Another
|
|
|
|
|
|
favourite of mine is `Endless Parentheses <http://endlessparentheses.com/>`_, whence I got a lot
|
|
|
|
|
|
of ideas.
|
