Re: Emacs Book Vs Emacs Manuals

[Marcin Borkowski]

On 2015-05-08, at 21:10, Bob Proulx <bob@proulx.com> wrote:

> Vaidheeswaran C wrote:
>> Shakthi Kannan wrote:
>> > Vaidheeswaran C wrote:
>> > | What would be the best way to learn Emacs.
>> > 
>> > Start with the GNU Emacs tutorial. If you prefer a book, I'd recommend
>> > "Learning GNU Emacs":
>> > 
>> >   http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596006488.do
>> 
>> Have you read that book? The book is old.  Do you still think that I
>> can use it.  For example, does it talk about Org-mode etc.
>
> A student says that they really want to learn Calculus.  They know
> that Calculus is very powerful and can be used to solve many problems.
> I suggest that they learn Arithmetic first.  They respond,
> "Arithmetic!  Have you learned Arithmetic?  Arithmetic is old.  Should
> I learn Arithmetic?  For example, will Arithmetic talk about
> Calculus?"

Nice try;-).  But this analogy is flawed: software, unlike mathematical
theories, is subject to change.

> I didn't learn Emacs from the book Learning GNU Emacs but I have it
> and it is a good introduction.  It is easier to learn the fundamentals
> and then build upon them with more advanced concepts afterward.

Well, I don't have the book, but I agree with the above.  The tutorial
and the first few chapters of the official manual are good for learning
fundamentals.

> Bob

Best,

-- 
Marcin Borkowski
http://octd.wmi.amu.edu.pl/en/Marcin_Borkowski
Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science
Adam Mickiewicz University