Book idea: Thinking With Emacs
Posted: - Modified:For: Beginner to intermediate Emacs users (non-technical backgrounds are okay) who want to use it for organizing what they know/think and learning more
Outcome: People can use this incredibly powerful although somewhat intimidatingly technical tool to aid their learning
Possible collaborator: Bill Zimmerly
The basics
Objective: Get people from 0 to 1
β Writing conventions used in this book
β How to install Emacs
β Basic concepts and keyboard shortcuts
β Some customization

π2014-02-27 Map for getting the hang of Emacs movement #emacs #map #guide
Writing
Objective: Help people get the hang of using Emacs as a text editor
Introduce structured writing with Org
β Writing
β Outlines
β Lists
β Tables
β Links
β Finding your way around
β Practical applications
β Planning your projects
β Exploring decisions
Sharing
Objective: Quick win β helping people export their work into a form that other people can understand
β Exporting to HTML
β Exporting to other formats (LaTeX?)
Remembering and organizing
Objective: Capture those quick thoughts
Capturing thoughts
Organizing your thoughts
Tags
Archiving
Practical examples:
β Keeping track of ideas
β Reading books
β Remembering solutions to problems
Planning your life
β Using Org for planning
β Reminders
β Regular reminders
β GTD and other ways of working
β Organizing your notes β thinking in terms of contexts, projects,
etc.
Working with numbers
β Why use Emacs instead of a calculator?
β Quick calculations using Emacs Lisp
β Org spreadsheet
β Calc
Saving time with shortcuts
β Making your own keyboard shortcuts
β Keyboard macros
Configuring Emacs
β Customize
β Your configuration file
Going beyond
Inspirational writing to encourage more use.
How and why Emacs becomes the center of many power usersβ computer activity.
Extending Emacs
β Finding the source
β A quick primer on Emacs Lisp
β Interactively understanding code with Edebug
β Writing your own
Modifying the way Emacs works
β Advice
β Changing behavior
Working with code
Additional tools for making sense of software projects?
Emacs, statistics, and research
Objective: Help people use Emacs to support research
β
Other notes: Org
Thanks to sahilsinha, timvisher,rknnv2, gozes, GlennRStreet, ScriptDevil, BalticPasta, berndweiss, krrrcks, emisshula, and others for feedback! =)
INTERESTED? WANT TO LEARN MORE? Comment below or e-mail me at sacha@sachachua.com and letβs talk about what youβre curious about. That will really help me turn this book idea into reality! =)