Xref: news2.mv.net comp.os.msdos.djgpp:7881
From: mschulter AT mach1 DOT mpu DOT com ()
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Subject: Emacs is great
Date: 21 Aug 1996 19:47:59 GMT
Organization: MP Unlimited, Inc.
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Message-ID: <4vfp5f$k8b@news.mpu.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: mach1.mpu.com
To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
DJ-Gateway: from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp


As a new djgpp 2.0 user, I would like to endorse the recommendation in the
FAQ that Emacs 19.31 -- or 19.33, the latest release -- is a great editor
for use with djgpp.

Really, Emacs is much more than an editor; with the source code, the compiled
version takes up about 52M of disk space, and has features justifying that
space. For one, the compilation options alone (designed to work with gcc)
make this a fine editor for locating and correcting problems with C code.

If you have djgpp 2, then you have _almost_ all the tools needed to build
Emacs 19.31 or higher. You'll also need the GNU file utilities, available
on Simtel mirrors as FUT312BX.ZIP. These utilities are a lot of fun in
their own right, so I would call this a plus for building Emacs.

Note that you'll also need about 70M of free disk space to build Emacs,
if I understand the documentation correctly (about 35M for the source and
related files, plus 35M for the building process). 

While Emacs is indeed a very complex and intricate program when you want
it to be, there's a user-friendly tutorial to help anyone get started.

One great plus: the new versions handle the PC keyboard very nicely: the
Backspace and Delete keys work in the usual MS-DOG way, and C-h gets help
as expected. I'm not sure if this is a new feature (I haven't used any
GNU Emacs versions earlier than 19.31), but it's most convenient.

This isn't to say that everyone should necessarily use Emacs all the time;
but I would say that it's the best and most powerful editor that I've seen
for MS-DOS, as well as a great port of the UNIX-compatible standard.

Congratulations to Eli and the many others who have made this possible.

Most respectfully,
Margo Schulter