Re: The minibuffer vs. Dialog Boxes (Re: Making XEmacs be more up-to-date)

[Eli Zaretskii]

On 23 Apr 2002, Stephen J. Turnbull wrote:

>     >> Is "C-h C-f" supposed to show the Info node for a command you
>     >> type?  If so, the equivalent command works for me in Emacs with
>     >> gnus.
> 
>     Brady> Doesn't work on my xemacs installation, so it's probably
>     Brady> just an install issue.
> 
> Gnus is bundled with Emacs.  I wonder if Eli would get the same
> results on an unbundled package.  I'm pretty sure that's why we don't
> pick it up.

I don't have an unbundled Gnus to try.  However, "C-h F" (which I 
understand is the Emacs equivalent of "C-h C-f") works by looking up the 
function in the indices of the Info manual associated with the function 
whose name you type.  So what is important for it is that the Info manual 
for Gnus is installed in a location that Emacs can find via INFOPATH or in
the default places, like /usr/local/info etc.

In other words, if you can say "C-h i d m gnus RET" and get the right 
version of the Gnus manual, then "C-h C-f" should have had no problems, 
either.  Unless "C-h C-f" works differently in XEmacs, that is.

>     Brady> Help shouldn't require help.
> 
> Have you ever tried to use Windows help?

IMHO, Windows ``help'' is awful, mostly because its contents is not 
useful.  They tell you the obvious things (``to open a file, click "File" 
and select "Open"'') in so many words, but the _really_ important issues, 
like how to solve problems, are nowhere to be found.  I think the info is 
simply not there, not surprisingly.

We shouldn't consider the Windows help as a good example in this 
discussion, I think.  With all its deficiencies and lots of possible 
improvements, the Emacs documentation system is miles ahead of what 
Windows gives me.  YMMV, of course.