Re: What would an "An Official" GNU Emacs Book look like?

[Emanuel Berg]

"Stephen J. Turnbull" <address@hidden> writes:

> most students think of software as a tool like
> a soldering iron. They have equal interest in
> producing the two kinds of tool

I think of software as tools and every time I do no
matter how small a zsh function or Elisp defun it
feels like I add a new superpower to my Batman belt.
It is a good feeling and it is fun doing, and I wish
more people did it!

Reading your post I'm pleased you have understood the
essence of my suggestion, i.e. to tell
cool/cautionary/encouraging stories while conveying
a positive air of creativity and resourcefulness.
I don't like the word "crusade" as a metaphor for GNU,
but if it is it is as much a bunch of merry craftsmen
travelling alongside those grim warriors, and I think
that picture is both more appealing and more true.

> Perhaps Emanuel could edit the book as a collection
> of essays, organize your colleagues to contribute to
> it, and title it "GNU-tiful Code" or "Just for the
> Freedom to Do It".

Of course I'm not going to back down from my own
suggestion. I know enough LaTeX and I suspect the
essays would require almost no editing, so it would be
kill and yank mostly. And I would neither put my name
on the cover nor write a servile introduction boasting
how cool everyone else is.

No matter who is the editor such a book would be
awesome: one chapter vanilla Emacs, then Gnus,
Emacs-w3m, Dired...

-- 
underground experts united
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573