RE: (emacs) Intro [was: Making Emacs popular again with a video]

[excalamus]

Resending in order to add to the public archives.  Apologies for the extra 
messages!


May 20, 2020, 12:58 by address@hidden:

>
> May 19, 2020, 13:26 by address@hidden:
>
>>> Is this something I should continue investing time in?
>>>
>>
>> IMO, yes, please do.  Why not?  It will be fun for
>> you (and us) anyway, regardless of the outcome.
>>
> I agree it's fun and I'm glad you've joined in!  I meant as opposed to 
> pursuing something like this: > 
> https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2019-12/msg00206.html
>
>
>> 1. Command, not just function.
>>
> Thank you for this!  The difficulty with this section is separating the 
> jargon from the expression of the idea.  (The idea being, "each key calls a 
> tiny program (or macro)".  Macro is clearly jargon and extremely ambiguous at 
> that (e.g. lisp macro, Excel VBA macro, C macro, keyboard macro, etc.).  
> "Function" is more accurate, but also jargon.  "Command" is a term I had not 
> considered.  
>
>
>> > What *defines* an Emacs? Is it "the Emacs idea", as I've called it, that 
>> > each key press is 
>> > transparently associated with a function?
>>
>> 2. Why do you say "transparently" here?
>>
> By transparent, I mean that it is easy for a user to see "the Emacs idea" 
> (i.e. "each key calls a tiny program (or macro)").  The Idea is made 
> transparent through C-h k:
>
> 1. C-h k <up> opens *Help* which states, "<up> runs a command which is a 
> function"
> 2. There is a link to the function definition, previous-line
>
> That's what I mean by "transparent".  
>
> The more it's discussed, I think it's the functionality of C-h is 
> specifically what *defines*, in practical terms, an "Emacs".  I think it 
> would be helpful to explain this to non-programmers along with *why the Idea 
> is important and powerful*.  Other editors undoubtedly call a function when 
> "<up>", or a button on the UI, is pressed; it's software, so it has to work 
> that way at some level.  However, an "Emacs" grants users visibility and 
> access behind the curtains.  Aside from this transparency existing,  I don't 
> think it's necessarily seen as a virtue.  On the contrary, I think it's 
> viewed as irrelevant; the sentiment is "I don't care if I can disassemble my 
> John Deere engine, I have seeds to plant right now.  How does this help me do 
> that?"
>
>
>