> But the manual at gnu is too long to read completely as a
> tutorial, and is there any good book or manual to begin with?
- Launch emacs.
- Type C-h t (that means, type: control-h, then t).
- Read the tutorial; it's only 840 lines.
- Use emacs!
Others have also recommended the Emacs Wiki and the Emacs manual. I would
point out that the place to start on the wiki is here:
http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/EmacsNewbie. That page will get you
started and it can point you to other learning resources (e.g. books) as
well. Also, (like any good manual) the Emacs manual has the most basic
topics near the beginning, and they are usually identified as such.
The most important thing to know about the Emacs manual is that it is always
available, with easy browsing, searching, and index lookup. Use `C-h i' to
access it (choose Emacs manual in the list of manuals). Use `q' to quit,
then `C-h i' again later (in the same Emacs session) to pick up where you
last left off.
Emacs help is also always available - see #3 below.
Here's the recipe for learning:
1. Start with the Emacs tutorial. The post above should have said "use" the
tutorial, not "read" it. It walks you through learning Emacs by using it.
2. Learn how to access the Emacs manual and how to look things up in it,
starting with `i' as Eli mentioned.
3. Use Emacs, and while you use it ask it! Get to know Emacs help commands:
`C-h k', `C-h f', `C-h v', `C-h m', `C-h a' -- use `C-h h' to see them all.
Examples: 1) You want to find a command that deletes a line, so you try `C-h
a line' to see all commands with "line" in their name. 2) You want to know
what hitting a given sequences of keys will do, so you try `C-h k' then type
the key sequence.
4. Don't forget the wiki. People like you wrote it to help people like you.
And you can contribute (questions, experiences, suggestions...).
Bottom line: You can be doing amazing stuff in a short time, but you can
also spend a lifetime or two learning more - Emacs is unlimited, but don't
be discouraged by the incredible amount of stuff you can learn.
Many Emacs learners (like myself) are Emacs addicts - they just like
learning new things and sharing them with others. That does not mean that
you must master a zillion complexities before you can be productive with
Emacs. You'll be productive within a few minutes.