[gnu.emacs.bug] NOT A BUG. Lightweight EMACS?

daemon@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Admin) (05/03/89)

>From badile!forman Wed May  3 15:46:06 MET 1989 remote from ethz

This is not a bug report, but I didn't have another network address
to use.

	Yes, I am impressed with EMACS.  What a lot of effort! and
somehow distributed free?!?  I don't understand the principle, but
it's probably just because I'm too capitalistic.  How does the 
Foundatation pay its costs? Hmmm...

	I disagree with some of the default key bindings, but have
no legitimate ground to complain since it's all re-bindable. (Do
consider that one must repeatedly hit ESC between "v" strokes to 
page up, but not to C-v down through a file, if you have time or
interest.)

	I commend EMACS for being rebindable, configurable, programmable,
flexible, ___ible, ...  very versatile, so much so that it will serve
as an OS interface someday as GNU.

	BUT the price for all that is that it is kinda heavy.


>>>>>	My question is:  is there such thing as a "lightweight EMACS"
which can be run on smaller machines, e.g. PC's running MINIX or such
UNIX-similar operating systems?    Is it possible to run EMACS either
without huge memory or (exclusive) without hard disk?

	Thanks, GHF

bob@cis.ohio-state.edu (Bob Sutterfield) (05/04/89)

(Please note: the original message wasn't really from
daemon@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu.  The sender's mail system didn't supply
a usable From: line, so the gateway did the best it could, which
didn't turn out so great this time.)

   >From badile!forman Wed May  3 15:46:06 MET 1989 remote from ethz

   (Do consider that one must repeatedly hit ESC between "v" strokes
   to page up, but not to C-v down through a file.)

Remember that the separate-key ESC prefix is a crutch to help poor
folks without a real META key.  So-equipped, a terminal or workstation
keyboard renders both these operations (scroll-up and scroll-down)
into single-keystroke operations, the only difference being which
other key you hold down while you press "v".

   BUT the price for all that [power] is that it is kinda heavy...
   is there such thing as a "lightweight EMACS" which can be run on
   smaller machines, e.g. PC's running MINIX or such UNIX-similar
   operating systems?

Yes, there are several flavors of MicroEmacs and the like.  See the
newsgroup comp.emacs for periodic discussions of what kind to get and
where to get it.

rbj@DSYS.ICST.NBS.GOV (Root Boy Jim) (05/05/89)

? From: bob@cis.ohio-state.edu  (Bob Sutterfield)

?    >From badile!forman Wed May  3 15:46:06 MET 1989 remote from ethz

?    (Do consider that one must repeatedly hit ESC between "v" strokes
?    to page up, but not to C-v down through a file.)

? Remember that the separate-key ESC prefix is a crutch to help poor
? folks without a real META key.  So-equipped, a terminal or workstation
? keyboard renders both these operations (scroll-up and scroll-down)
? into single-keystroke operations, the only difference being which
? other key you hold down while you press "v".

Good point about the meta-key, but ^V is still a bit of a reach, even
for a guitar player. I swap the bindings of ^A and ^V, and bind ^Z to
scroll-down for a bit of an easier reach. Suspend is on ^X^Z anyway.

	Root Boy Jim is what I am
	Are you what you are or what?