Introduction

The FAQ is posted to reduce the noise level in the gnu.emacs.help newsgroup (which is also the help-gnu-emacs mailing list) which results from the repetition of frequently asked questions, wrong answers to these questions, corrections to the wrong answers, corrections to the corrections, debate, name calling, etc. Also, it serves as a repository of the canonical "best" answers to these questions. However, if you know a better answer or even a slight change that improves an answer, please tell us!

If you know the answer to a question in the FAQ list, please reply to the question by e-mail instead of posting. Help reduce noise!

Full instructions for getting the latest FAQ are in question 22.

There is no diff file for this version of the FAQ, as many things have changed since it was last updated.

Please suggest new questions, answers, wording changes, deletions, etc. The most helpful form for suggestions is a context diff (i.e., the output of `diff -c'). Include "FAQ" in the subject of messages sent to us about the FAQ list.

Please do not send questions to us just because you do not want to disturb a lot of people and you think we would know the answer. We do not have time to answer questions individually. :-(

Notation Used in FAQ

1: What do these mean: C-h, M-C-a, RET, "ESC a", etc.?

2: What does "M-x command" mean?

3: How do I read topic XXX in the on-line manual?

4: What do these mean: etc/SERVICE, src/config.h, lisp/default.el?

5: What are FSF, LPF, OSF, GNU, RMS, FTP, and GPL?



General Questions

On-line Help, Printed Manuals, Other Sources of Help

Status of Emacs

Common Things People Want To Do

Bugs/Problems

Difficulties Building/Installing/Porting Emacs

Finding/Getting Emacs and Related Packages

Major Emacs Lisp Packages, Emacs Extensions, and Related Programs

If you know of any other packages that are so substantial that they deserve to be mentioned here, please let us know. Having its own mailing list or newsgroup or more than half a megabyte of source code are good signs.

102: VM (View Mail) -- another mail reader within Emacs

103: SuperCite -- mail and news citation package within Emacs

104: Calc -- poor man's Mathematica within Emacs

105: VIP -- vi emulation for Emacs

106: AUC TeX -- enhanced LaTeX mode with debugging facilities

107: Hyperbole -- extensible hypertext management system within Emacs

108: BBDB -- personal Info Rolodex integrated with mail/news readers

109: Ispell -- spell checker in C with interface for Emacs

110: W3-mode -- A World-Wide Web browser inside of Emacs

111: EDB -- Database program for Emacs; replaces forms editing modes

112: Patch -- program to apply "diffs" for updating files



Changing Key Bindings and Handling Key Binding Problems

Using Emacs with Alternate Character Sets

Mail and News

This FAQ was last updated on February 8, 1995.

Copyright 1994, 1995 Reuven M. Lerner

Copyright 1992, 1993 Steven Byrnes

Copyright 1990, 1991, 1992 Joseph Brian Wells

This list of frequently asked questions about GNU Emacs with answers ("FAQ") may be translated into other languages, transformed into other formats (e.g. Texinfo, Info, WWW, WAIS), and updated with new information.

The same conditions apply to any derivative of the FAQ as apply to the FAQ itself. Every copy of the FAQ must include this notice or an approved translation, information on who is currently maintaining the FAQ and how to contact them (including their e-mail address), and information on where the latest version of the FAQ is archived (including FTP information).

The FAQ may be copied and redistributed under these conditions, except that the FAQ may not be embedded in a larger literary work unless that work itself allows free copying and redistribution.

People who helped with this version of the FAQ:

Ethan Bradford <ethanb@u.washington.edu>, William G. Dubuque <wgd@martigny.ai.mit.edu>, Michael Ernst <mernst@theory.lcs.mit.edu>, and Denby Wong <3dw16@qlink.QueensU.CA>.

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