From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Msuck: nntp://news.gmane.io/gmane.emacs.gnus.general/31635 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Harry Putnam Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.gnus.general Subject: Re: Suggestion for "file" mail-backend (was Re: nov and procmail compatability?) Date: 03 Jul 2000 12:37:02 -0700 Sender: owner-ding@hpc.uh.edu Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: coloc-standby.netfonds.no Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: main.gmane.org 1035168023 15241 80.91.224.250 (21 Oct 2002 02:40:23 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@main.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 02:40:23 +0000 (UTC) Return-Path: Original-Received: from fisher.math.uh.edu (fisher.math.uh.edu [129.7.128.35]) by mailhost.sclp.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id DB0F0D0520 for ; Mon, 3 Jul 2000 15:58:54 -0400 (EDT) Original-Received: from sina.hpc.uh.edu (lists@Sina.HPC.UH.EDU [129.7.3.5]) by fisher.math.uh.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) with ESMTP id OAC05789; Mon, 3 Jul 2000 14:58:35 -0500 (CDT) Original-Received: by sina.hpc.uh.edu (TLB v0.09a (1.20 tibbs 1996/10/09 22:03:07)); Mon, 03 Jul 2000 14:57:36 -0500 (CDT) Original-Received: from mailhost.sclp.com (postfix@sclp3.sclp.com [204.252.123.139]) by sina.hpc.uh.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id OAA08832 for ; Mon, 3 Jul 2000 14:57:24 -0500 (CDT) Original-Received: from mail.networkone.net (mail.networkone.net [209.144.112.75]) by mailhost.sclp.com (Postfix) with SMTP id 50606D0520 for ; Mon, 3 Jul 2000 15:57:57 -0400 (EDT) Original-Received: (qmail 3854 invoked from network); 3 Jul 2000 19:57:56 -0000 Original-Received: from adsl-117-113.ln.networkone.net (HELO reader.ptw.com) (209.144.117.113) by mail.networkone.net with SMTP; 3 Jul 2000 19:57:56 -0000 Original-Received: (from reader@localhost) by reader.ptw.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) id MAA18051; Mon, 3 Jul 2000 12:57:53 -0700 Original-To: ding@gnus.org In-Reply-To: Kai.Grossjohann@CS.Uni-Dortmund.DE's message of "Mon, 3 Jul 2000 20:14:04 +0200" User-Agent: Gnus/5.0807 (Gnus v5.8.7) Emacs/20.5 Original-Lines: 50 Precedence: list X-Majordomo: 1.94.jlt7 Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.gnus.general:31635 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.gnus.general:31635 Kai.Grossjohann@CS.Uni-Dortmund.DE (Kai Gro=DFjohann) writes: > Harry Putnam writes: >=20 > > Do whatever customizing thing it is and write it to that file. As Per > > says the whole mass of what emacs knows as done in customize is > > written to the file too. But with some care you can pick out the new > > stuff, and transfer it wherever. This is a good technique for elisp > > impaired users, to see what the code is supposed to look like. >=20 > Please do not advise people to use copy and paste on Custom-generated > Lisp code. This might easily lead to people having more than one > custom-set-variables statement, and down that path lies madness. I must have been very unclear... (no mention of copy and paste in my post).=20 To clarify a bit.. I'm very poor at elisp syntax. But don't like to use `Customize' too much because it is so cumbersome and slow. I've hit on a method since the early days of `Customize' that works for me as a new user and elisp impaired user. I didn't mention this in my previous post but I keep all `Customize' generated things in a file called .emacs-custom, and load it from `site-lisp/site-start.el with: (setq custom-file "~/.emacs-custom")=20 (load custom-file) Mostly it contains numerous gnus face settings, and basic color settings. Too much guff to keep in .emacs, and a handy way to keep .emacs for fast var settings that may be experimental etc. Now if I decide to try to customize some variable I don't really understand , that is covered in Customize, I will set the custom file temporarily to something else (tmp.el) write the customisation to it for study of the syntax and then maybe put a hand written version in emacs and try it out..=20 This way I get a look at the syntax and have done no harm to any permanent files. Sort of a handy way to have an expert show you the syntax for your own use. [...]=20 > Yes, the implementation of Customize should probably be improved, but > right now, that's just the way it is. Mine was not a complaint. I view customize as a handy tutor.