Re: How to make Emacs popular again.

[Arthur Miller]

Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support> writes:

> * Arthur Miller <arthur.miller@live.com> [2020-10-20 16:23]:
>> Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support> writes:
>> 
>> > * Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> [2020-09-29 17:12]:
>> >> > Search documentation is separate feature from looking up any technical
>> >> > or special word in glossary
>> >> 
>> >> No, I think it's quite related, especially since the Glossary is part
>> >> of the manual.
>> >
>> > It is related. Let me express myself better, I am proposing a
>> > function, something like a long click or key press that is then
>> > searching in the glossary. Maybe underlying Lisp functions can be used
>> > for that feature.
>> 
>> Would it be possible to make something like Helm occur where I can type
>> a term as pattern in minibuffer and then helm will show different hits
>> in a buffer; say something like those ambigious names I don't remember
>> like dired-file-name-at-point and dired-filename-at-point; or if there
>> is a function and local varaible with same name; so that docs for
>> all hits are shown in an helm occur buffer, which I can easiry navigate
>> when I wish just to skim over what function does? I would prefer that to
>> C-h f or C-h v.
>
> My request to help users define words everywhere in Emacs cannot be
> practical. A teaching class or course provider can do that when
> necessary. I was thinking that set of definitions could be all updated
> in Glossary of the info file, as example, and then various special
> words anywhere in Emacs could be quickly defined.
>
> There is no need for that, and Emacs is in true sense already so much
> self-documenting.
>
> Now what you mentioned with Helm, it already exists when
> {M-x helm-mode RET} is activated.
>
> Then if you try {C-h f} you may see all the functions and narrow
> them. There is recommendd helm config, and it includes function
> helm-M-x on my right menu key between Alt and Ctrl for anything like M-x
>
>> Would be cool for docs, but it would be also very cool for a dictionary
>> in general; say for pulling a description of a word from different
>> dictionaries.
>
> I have made 2 step into dictionaries. The package Wordnut that uses
> Wordnet dictionary works well with Helm automatically. It shows
> possible list of words and user can narrow it or even find those
> others interesting.
>
> For dictd versions I think there is no such completion yet, it could
> be possible.
Cool, thanks for the answer; I'll investigate more. I am really bad to
look up what is already there sometimes ...