-This is ../info/xemacs-faq.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.0 from
+This is ../info/xemacs-faq.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.8 from
xemacs-faq.texi.
INFO-DIR-SECTION XEmacs Editor
XEmacs FAQ
**********
-Introduction
-************
-
- This is the guide to the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list--a
+This is the guide to the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list--a
compendium of questions and answers pertaining to one of the finest
-programs ever written. It is much more than just a Text Editor.
+programs ever written. XEmacs is much more than just a Text Editor.
- This FAQ is freely redistributable. I take no liability for the
-correctness and safety of any procedures or advice given here. This
-FAQ is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY
-WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or
-FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
+ This FAQ is freely redistributable. This FAQ is distributed in the
+hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the
+implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
If you have a Web browser, the official hypertext version is at
-`http://www.xemacs.org/faq/xemacs-faq.html'.
-
- This version is somewhat nicer than the unofficial hypertext versions
-that are archived at Utrecht, Oxford, Smart Pages, and other FAQ
-archives.
+`http://www.xemacs.org/FAQ/xemacs-faq.html'
* Menu:
-* Introduction:: Introduction, Policy, Credits.
-* Installation:: Installation and Trouble Shooting.
-* Customization:: Customization and Options.
-* Subsystems:: Major Subsystems.
-* Miscellaneous:: The Miscellaneous Stuff.
-* MS Windows:: XEmacs on Microsoft Windows.
-* Current Events:: What the Future Holds.
-
+* Introduction:: Introduction, Policy, Credits.
+* Installation:: Installation and Troubleshooting.
+* Editing:: Editing Functions.
+* Display:: Display Functions.
+* External Subsystems:: Interfacing with the OS and External Devices.
+* Internet:: Connecting to the Internet.
+* Advanced:: Advanced Customization Using XEmacs Lisp.
+* Other Packages:: Other External Packages.
+* Current Events:: What the Future Holds.
+* Legacy Versions:: New information about old XEmacsen.
--- The Detailed Node Listing ---
-Introduction, Policy, Credits
-
-* Q1.0.1:: What is XEmacs?
-* Q1.0.2:: What is the current version of XEmacs?
-* Q1.0.3:: Where can I find it?
-* Q1.0.4:: Why Another Version of Emacs?
-* Q1.0.5:: Why Haven't XEmacs and GNU Emacs Merged?
-* Q1.0.6:: Where can I get help?
-* Q1.0.7:: Where is the mailing list archived?
-* Q1.0.8:: How do you pronounce XEmacs?
-* Q1.0.9:: What does XEmacs look like?
-* Q1.0.10:: Is there a port of XEmacs to Microsoft ('95 or NT)?
-* Q1.0.11:: Is there a port of XEmacs to the Macintosh?
-* Q1.0.12:: Is there a port of XEmacs to NextStep?
-* Q1.0.13:: Is there a port of XEmacs to OS/2?
-* Q1.0.14:: Where can I get a printed copy of the XEmacs users manual?
-
-Policies:
-* Q1.1.1:: What is the FAQ editorial policy?
-* Q1.1.2:: How do I become a Beta Tester?
-* Q1.1.3:: How do I contribute to XEmacs itself?
-
-Credits:
-* Q1.2.1:: Who wrote XEmacs?
-* Q1.2.2:: Who contributed to this version of the FAQ?
-* Q1.2.3:: Who contributed to the FAQ in the past?
-
-Internationalization:
-* Q1.3.1:: What is the status of XEmacs v20?
-* Q1.3.2:: What is the status of Asian-language support, aka MULE?
-* Q1.3.3:: How do I type non-ASCII characters?
-* Q1.3.4:: Can XEmacs messages come out in a different language?
-* Q1.3.5:: Please explain the various input methods in MULE/XEmacs 20.0
-* Q1.3.6:: How do I portably code for MULE/XEmacs 20.0?
-* Q1.3.7:: How about Cyrillic Modes?
-
-Getting Started:
-* Q1.4.1:: What is a `.emacs' and is there a sample one?
-* Q1.4.2:: Can I use the same `.emacs' with the other Emacs?
-* Q1.4.3:: Any good XEmacs tutorials around?
-* Q1.4.4:: May I see an example of a useful XEmacs Lisp function?
-* Q1.4.5:: And how do I bind it to a key?
-* Q1.4.6:: What's the difference between a macro and a function?
-
-Installation and Trouble Shooting
-
-* Q2.0.1:: Running XEmacs without installing.
-* Q2.0.2:: XEmacs is too big.
-* Q2.0.3:: Compiling XEmacs with Netaudio.
-* Q2.0.4:: Problems with Linux and ncurses.
-* Q2.0.5:: Do I need X11 to run XEmacs?
-* Q2.0.6:: I'm having strange crashes. What do I do?
-* Q2.0.7:: Libraries in non-standard locations.
-* Q2.0.8:: can't resolve symbol _h_errno
-* Q2.0.9:: Where do I find external libraries?
-* Q2.0.10:: After I run configure I find a coredump, is something wrong?
-* Q2.0.11:: XEmacs can't resolve host names.
-* Q2.0.12:: Why can't I strip XEmacs?
-
-Trouble Shooting:
-* Q2.1.1:: XEmacs just crashed on me!
-* Q2.1.2:: Cryptic Minibuffer messages.
-* Q2.1.3:: Translation Table Syntax messages at Startup.
-* Q2.1.4:: Startup warnings about deducing proper fonts?
-* Q2.1.5:: XEmacs cannot connect to my X Terminal.
-* Q2.1.6:: XEmacs just locked up my Linux X server.
-* Q2.1.7:: HP Alt key as Meta.
-* Q2.1.8:: got (wrong-type-argument color-instance-p nil)!
-* Q2.1.9:: XEmacs causes my OpenWindows 3.0 server to crash.
-* Q2.1.10:: Warnings from incorrect key modifiers.
-* Q2.1.11:: Can't instantiate image error... in toolbar
-* Q2.1.12:: Regular Expression Problems on DEC OSF1.
-* Q2.1.13:: HP/UX 10.10 and `create_process' failure
-* Q2.1.14:: C-g doesn't work for me. Is it broken?
-* Q2.1.15:: How to debug an XEmacs problem with a debugger.
-* Q2.1.16:: XEmacs crashes in `strcat' on HP/UX 10.
-* Q2.1.17:: `Marker does not point anywhere'.
-* Q2.1.18:: [This question intentionally left blank]
-* Q2.1.19:: XEmacs does not follow the local timezone.
-* Q2.1.20:: `Symbol's function definition is void: hkey-help-show.'
-* Q2.1.21:: [This question intentionally left blank]
-* Q2.1.22:: XEmacs seems to take a really long time to do some things.
-* Q2.1.23:: Movemail on Linux does not work for XEmacs 19.15 and later.
-* Q2.1.24:: XEmacs won't start without network. (NEW)
-
-Customization and Options
-
-* Q3.0.1:: What version of Emacs am I running?
-* Q3.0.2:: How do I evaluate Elisp expressions?
-* Q3.0.3:: `(setq tab-width 6)' behaves oddly.
-* Q3.0.4:: How can I add directories to the `load-path'?
-* Q3.0.5:: How to check if a lisp function is defined?
-* Q3.0.6:: Can I force the output of `(face-list)' to a buffer?
-* Q3.0.7:: Font selections don't get saved after `Save Options'.
-* Q3.0.8:: How do I make a single minibuffer frame?
-* Q3.0.9:: What is `Customize'?
-
-X Window System & Resources:
-* Q3.1.1:: Where is a list of X resources?
-* Q3.1.2:: How can I detect a color display?
-* Q3.1.3:: [This question intentionally left blank]
-* Q3.1.4:: [This question intentionally left blank]
-* Q3.1.5:: How can I get the icon to just say `XEmacs'?
-* Q3.1.6:: How can I have the window title area display the full path?
-* Q3.1.7:: `xemacs -name junk' doesn't work?
-* Q3.1.8:: `-iconic' doesn't work.
-
-Textual Fonts & Colors:
-* Q3.2.1:: How can I set color options from `.emacs'?
-* Q3.2.2:: How do I set the text, menu and modeline fonts?
-* Q3.2.3:: How can I set the colors when highlighting a region?
-* Q3.2.4:: How can I limit color map usage?
-* Q3.2.5:: My tty supports color, but XEmacs doesn't use them.
-* Q3.2.6:: Can I have pixmap backgrounds in XEmacs?
-
-The Modeline:
-* Q3.3.1:: How can I make the modeline go away?
-* Q3.3.2:: How do you have XEmacs display the line number in the modeline?
-* Q3.3.3:: How do I get XEmacs to put the time of day on the modeline?
-* Q3.3.4:: How do I turn off current chapter from AUC TeX modeline?
-* Q3.3.5:: How can one change the modeline color based on the mode used?
-
-Multiple Device Support:
-* Q3.4.1:: How do I open a frame on another screen of my multi-headed display?
-* Q3.4.2:: Can I really connect to a running XEmacs after calling up over a modem? How?
-
-The Keyboard:
-* Q3.5.1:: How can I bind complex functions (or macros) to keys?
-* Q3.5.2:: How can I stop down-arrow from adding empty lines to the bottom of my buffers?
-* Q3.5.3:: How do I bind C-. and C-; to scroll one line up and down?
-* Q3.5.4:: Globally binding Delete?
-* Q3.5.5:: Scrolling one line at a time.
-* Q3.5.6:: How to map Help key alone on Sun type4 keyboard?
-* Q3.5.7:: How can you type in special characters in XEmacs?
-* Q3.5.8:: Why does `(global-set-key [delete-forward] 'delete-char)' complain?
-* Q3.5.9:: How do I make the Delete key delete forward?
-* Q3.5.10:: Can I turn on "sticky" modifier keys?
-* Q3.5.11:: How do I map the arrow keys?
-
-The Cursor:
-* Q3.6.1:: Is there a way to make the bar cursor thicker?
-* Q3.6.2:: Is there a way to get back the old block cursor where the cursor covers the character in front of the point?
-* Q3.6.3:: Can I make the cursor blink?
-
-The Mouse and Highlighting:
-* Q3.7.1:: How can I turn off Mouse pasting?
-* Q3.7.2:: How do I set control/meta/etc modifiers on mouse buttons?
-* Q3.7.3:: Clicking the left button does not do anything in buffer list.
-* Q3.7.4:: How can I get a list of buffers when I hit mouse button 3?
-* Q3.7.5:: Why does cut-and-paste not work between XEmacs and a cmdtool?
-* Q3.7.6:: How I can set XEmacs up so that it pastes where the text cursor is?
-* Q3.7.7:: How do I select a rectangular region?
-* Q3.7.8:: Why does M-w take so long?
-
-The Menubar and Toolbar:
-* Q3.8.1:: How do I get rid of the menu (or menubar)?
-* Q3.8.2:: Can I customize the basic menubar?
-* Q3.8.3:: How do I control how many buffers are listed in the menu `Buffers' list?
-* Q3.8.4:: Resources like `Emacs*menubar*font' are not working?
-* Q3.8.5:: How can I bind a key to a function to toggle the toolbar?
-
-Scrollbars:
-* Q3.9.1:: How can I disable the scrollbar?
-* Q3.9.2:: How can one use resources to change scrollbar colors?
-* Q3.9.3:: Moving the scrollbar can move the point; can I disable this?
-* Q3.9.4:: How can I get automatic horizontal scrolling?
-
-Text Selections:
-* Q3.10.1:: How can I turn off or change highlighted selections?
-* Q3.10.2:: How do I get that typing on an active region removes it?
-* Q3.10.3:: Can I turn off the highlight during isearch?
-* Q3.10.4:: How do I turn off highlighting after C-x C-p (mark-page)?
-* Q3.10.5:: The region disappears when I hit the end of buffer while scrolling.
-
-Major Subsystems
-
-* Q4.0.1:: How do I set up VM to retrieve remote mail using POP?
-* Q4.0.2:: How do I get VM to filter mail for me?
-* Q4.0.3:: How can I get VM to automatically check for new mail?
-* Q4.0.4:: [This question intentionally left blank]
-* Q4.0.5:: How do I get my outgoing mail archived?
-* Q4.0.6:: I have various addresses at which I receive mail. How can I tell VM to ignore them when doing a "reply-all"?
-* Q4.0.7:: Is there a mailing list or FAQ for VM?
-* Q4.0.8:: Remote mail reading with VM.
-* Q4.0.9:: rmail or VM gets an error incorporating new mail.
-* Q4.0.10:: How do I make VM stay in a single frame?
-* Q4.0.11:: How do I make VM or mh-e display graphical smilies?
-* Q4.0.12:: Customization of VM not covered in the manual or here.
-
-Web browsing with W3:
-* Q4.1.1:: What is W3?
-* Q4.1.2:: How do I run W3 from behind a firewall?
-* Q4.1.3:: Is it true that W3 supports style sheets and tables?
-
-Reading Netnews and Mail with Gnus:
-* Q4.2.1:: GNUS, (ding) Gnus, Gnus 5, September Gnus, Red Gnus, Quassia Gnus, argh!
-* Q4.2.2:: [This question intentionally left blank]
-* Q4.2.3:: How do I make Gnus stay within a single frame?
-* Q4.2.4:: How do I customize the From: line?
-
-Other Mail & News:
-* Q4.3.1:: How can I read and/or compose MIME messages?
-* Q4.3.2:: What is TM and where do I get it?
-* Q4.3.3:: Why isn't this `movemail' program working?
-* Q4.3.4:: Movemail is also distributed by Netscape? Can that cause problems?
-* Q4.3.5:: Where do I find pstogif (required by tm)?
-
-Sparcworks, EOS, and WorkShop:
-* Q4.4.1:: What is SPARCworks, EOS, and WorkShop
-* Q4.4.2:: How do I start the Sun Workshop support in XEmacs 21?
-
-Energize:
-* Q4.5.1:: What is/was Energize?
-
-Infodock:
-* Q4.6.1:: What is Infodock?
-
-Other Unbundled Packages:
-* Q4.7.1:: What is AUC TeX? Where do you get it?
-* Q4.7.2:: Are there any Emacs Lisp Spreadsheets?
-* Q4.7.3:: [This question intentionally left blank]
-* Q4.7.4:: Problems installing AUC TeX
-* Q4.7.5:: Is there a reason for an Emacs package not to be included in XEmacs?
-* Q4.7.6:: Is there a MatLab mode?
-
-The Miscellaneous Stuff
-
-* Q5.0.1:: How can I do source code highlighting using font-lock?
-* Q5.0.2:: I do not like cc-mode. How do I use the old c-mode?
-* Q5.0.3:: How do I get `More' Syntax Highlighting on by default?
-* Q5.0.4:: How can I enable auto-indent?
-* Q5.0.5:: How can I get XEmacs to come up in text/auto-fill mode by default?
-* Q5.0.6:: How do I start up a second shell buffer?
-* Q5.0.7:: Telnet from shell filters too much.
-* Q5.0.8:: Why does edt emulation not work?
-* Q5.0.9:: How can I emulate VI and use it as my default mode?
-* Q5.0.10:: [This question intentionally left blank]
-* Q5.0.11:: How do I turn on filladapt for all buffers?
-* Q5.0.12:: How do I disable gnuserv from opening a new frame?
-* Q5.0.13:: How do I start gnuserv so that each subsequent XEmacs is a client?
-* Q5.0.14:: Strange things are happening in Shell Mode.
-* Q5.0.15:: Where do I get the latest CC Mode?
-* Q5.0.16:: I find auto-show-mode disconcerting. How do I turn it off?
-* Q5.0.17:: How can I get two instances of info?
-* Q5.0.18:: [This question intentionally left blank]
-* Q5.0.19:: Is there something better than LaTeX mode?
-* Q5.0.20:: Is there a way to start a new XEmacs if there's no gnuserv running, and otherwise use gnuclient?
-
-Emacs Lisp Programming Techniques:
-* Q5.1.1:: The difference in key sequences between XEmacs and GNU Emacs?
-* Q5.1.2:: Can I generate "fake" keyboard events?
-* Q5.1.3:: Could you explain `read-kbd-macro' in more detail?
-* Q5.1.4:: What is the performance hit of `let'?
-* Q5.1.5:: What is the recommended use of `setq'?
-* Q5.1.6:: What is the typical misuse of `setq' ?
-* Q5.1.7:: I like the the `do' form of cl, does it slow things down?
-* Q5.1.8:: I like recursion, does it slow things down?
-* Q5.1.9:: How do I put a glyph as annotation in a buffer?
-* Q5.1.10:: `map-extents' won't traverse all of my extents!
-* Q5.1.11:: My elisp program is horribly slow. Is there an easy way to find out where it spends time?
-
-Sound:
-* Q5.2.1:: How do I turn off the sound?
-* Q5.2.2:: How do I get funky sounds instead of a boring beep?
-* Q5.2.3:: What's NAS, how do I get it?
-* Q5.2.4:: Sunsite sounds don't play.
-
-Miscellaneous:
-* Q5.3.1:: How do you make XEmacs indent CL if-clauses correctly?
-* Q5.3.2:: Fontifying hangs when editing a postscript file.
-* Q5.3.3:: How can I print WYSIWYG a font-locked buffer?
-* Q5.3.4:: Getting M-x lpr to work with postscript printer.
-* Q5.3.5:: How do I specify the paths that XEmacs uses for finding files?
-* Q5.3.6:: [This question intentionally left blank]
-* Q5.3.7:: Can I have the end of the buffer delimited in some way?
-* Q5.3.8:: How do I insert today's date into a buffer?
-* Q5.3.9:: Are only certain syntactic character classes available for abbrevs?
-* Q5.3.10:: How can I get those oh-so-neat X-Face lines?
-* Q5.3.11:: How do I add new Info directories?
-* Q5.3.12:: What do I need to change to make printing work?
-
-XEmacs on MS Windows
-
-General Info:
-* Q6.0.1:: What is the status of the XEmacs port to Windows?
-* Q6.0.2:: What flavors of MS Windows are supported?
-* Q6.0.3:: Are binary kits available?
-* Q6.0.4:: Does XEmacs on MS Windows require an X server to run?
-
-Building XEmacs on MS Windows:
-* Q6.1.1:: I decided to run with X. Where do I get an X server?
-* Q6.1.2:: What compiler do I need to compile XEmacs?
-* Q6.1.3:: How do I compile for the native port?
-* Q6.1.4:: How do I compile for the X port?
-* Q6.1.5:: How do I compile for Cygnus' Cygwin?
-* Q6.1.6:: What do I need for Cygwin?
-
-Customization and User Interface:
-* Q6.2.1:: How will the port cope with differences in the Windows user interface?
-* Q6.2.2:: How do I change fonts in XEmacs on MS Windows?
-* Q6.2.3:: Where do I put my `.emacs' file?
-
-Miscellaneous:
-* Q6.3.1:: Will XEmacs rename all the win32-* symbols to w32-*?
-* Q6.3.2:: What are the differences between the various MS Windows emacsen?
-* Q6.3.3:: What is the porting team doing at the moment?
-
-Current Events:
-
-* Q7.0.1:: What is new in 20.2?
-* Q7.0.2:: What is new in 20.3?
-* Q7.0.3:: What is new in 20.4?
-* Q7.0.4:: Procedural changes in XEmacs development.
+1 Introduction, Policy, Credits
+
+1.0: What is XEmacs?
+* Q1.0.1:: What is XEmacs?
+* Q1.0.2:: What is the current version of XEmacs?
+* Q1.0.3:: How do you pronounce XEmacs?
+* Q1.0.4:: What does XEmacs look like?
+* Q1.0.5:: Who wrote XEmacs?
+* Q1.0.6:: Who wrote the FAQ?
+
+1.1: Getting XEmacs
+* Q1.1.1:: Where can I find XEmacs?
+* Q1.1.2:: Are binaries available?
+* Q1.1.3:: How do I get the bleeding-edge sources?
+* Q1.1.4:: Where can I obtain a printed copy of the XEmacs User's Manual?
+
+1.2: Versions for Different Operating Systems
+* Q1.2.1:: Do I need X11 to run XEmacs?
+* Q1.2.2:: What versions of Unix does XEmacs run on?
+* Q1.2.3:: Is there a port of XEmacs to Microsoft Windows?
+* Q1.2.4:: Can I build XEmacs on MS Windows with X support? Do I need to?
+* Q1.2.5:: What are Cygwin and MinGW, and do I need them to run XEmacs?
+* Q1.2.6:: What are the differences between the various MS Windows emacsen?
+* Q1.2.7:: How does the port cope with differences in the Windows user interface?
+* Q1.2.8:: Is there a port of XEmacs to the Macintosh?
+* Q1.2.9:: Is there a port of XEmacs to MS-DOS?
+* Q1.2.10:: Is there a port of XEmacs to OS/2?
+* Q1.2.11:: Is there a port of XEmacs to NextStep?
+* Q1.2.12:: Is there a port of XEmacs to VMS?
+
+1.3: Getting Started
+* Q1.3.1:: What is an `init.el' or `.emacs' and is there a sample one?
+* Q1.3.2:: Where do I put my `init.el' file?
+* Q1.3.3:: Can I use the same `init.el' with the other Emacs?
+* Q1.3.4:: Any good XEmacs tutorials around?
+* Q1.3.5:: May I see an example of a useful XEmacs Lisp function?
+* Q1.3.6:: And how do I bind it to a key?
+* Q1.3.7:: What's the difference between a macro and a function?
+* Q1.3.8:: What is `Custom'?
+
+1.4: Getting Help
+* Q1.4.1:: Where can I get help?
+* Q1.4.2:: Which mailing lists are there?
+* Q1.4.3:: Where are the mailing lists archived?
+* Q1.4.4:: How can I get two instances of info?
+* Q1.4.5:: How do I add new Info directories?
+
+1.5: Contributing to XEmacs
+* Q1.5.1:: How do I submit changes to the FAQ?
+* Q1.5.2:: How do I become a beta tester?
+* Q1.5.3:: How do I contribute to XEmacs itself?
+* Q1.5.4:: How do I get started developing XEmacs?
+* Q1.5.5:: What's the basic layout of the code?
+
+1.6: Politics (XEmacs vs. GNU Emacs)
+* Q1.6.1:: What is GNU Emacs?
+* Q1.6.2:: How does XEmacs differ from GNU Emacs?
+* Q1.6.3:: How much does XEmacs differ?
+* Q1.6.4:: Is XEmacs "GNU"?
+* Q1.6.5:: What is the correct way to refer to XEmacs and GNU Emacs?
+* Q1.6.6:: Why haven't XEmacs and GNU Emacs merged?
+
+1.7: External Packages
+* Q1.7.1:: What is the package system?
+* Q1.7.2:: Which external packages are there?
+* Q1.7.3:: Do I need to have the packages to run XEmacs?
+* Q1.7.4:: Is there a way to find which package has particular functionality?
+
+1.8: Internationalization
+* Q1.8.1:: What is the status of internationalization support aka MULE (including Asian language support)?
+* Q1.8.2:: How can I help with internationalization?
+* Q1.8.3:: How do I type non-ASCII characters?
+* Q1.8.4:: Can XEmacs messages come out in a different language?
+* Q1.8.5:: Please explain the various input methods in MULE/XEmacs
+* Q1.8.6:: How do I portably code for MULE/XEmacs?
+* Q1.8.7:: How about Cyrillic modes?
+* Q1.8.8:: Does XEmacs support Unicode?
+* Q1.8.9:: How does XEmacs display Unicode?
+
+2 Installation and Troubleshooting
+
+2.0: Installation (General)
+* Q2.0.1:: How do I build and install XEmacs?
+* Q2.0.2:: Where do I find external libraries?
+* Q2.0.3:: How do I specify the paths that XEmacs uses for finding files?
+* Q2.0.4:: Running XEmacs without installing
+* Q2.0.5:: XEmacs is too big
+
+2.1: Package Installation
+* Q2.1.1:: How do I install the packages?
+* Q2.1.2:: Can I install the packages individually?
+* Q2.1.3:: Can I install the packages automatically?
+* Q2.1.4:: Can I upgrade or remove packages?
+* Q2.1.5:: Which packages to install?
+* Q2.1.6:: Can you describe the package location process in more detail?
+* Q2.1.7:: EFS fails with "500 AUTH not understood"
+
+2.2: Unix/Mac OS X Installation (Also Relevant to Cygwin, MinGW)
+* Q2.2.1:: Libraries in non-standard locations
+* Q2.2.2:: Why can't I strip XEmacs?
+
+2.3: Windows Installation (Windows, Cygwin, MinGW)
+* Q2.3.1:: What exactly are all the different ways to build XEmacs under Windows?
+* Q2.3.2:: What compiler/libraries do I need to compile XEmacs?
+* Q2.3.3:: How do I compile the native port?
+* Q2.3.4:: What do I need for Cygwin?
+* Q2.3.5:: How do I compile under Cygwin?
+* Q2.3.6:: How do I compile using MinGW (aka `the -mno-cygwin flag to gcc')?
+* Q2.3.7:: How do I compile with X support?
+* Q2.3.8:: Cygwin XEmacs won't start -- cygXpm-noX4.dll was not found (NEW)
+
+2.4: General Troubleshooting
+* Q2.4.1:: How do I deal with bugs or with problems building, installing, or running?
+* Q2.4.2:: Help! XEmacs just crashed on me!
+* Q2.4.3:: XEmacs crashes and I compiled it myself.
+* Q2.4.4:: How to debug an XEmacs problem with a debugger
+* Q2.4.5:: I get a cryptic error message when trying to do something.
+* Q2.4.6:: XEmacs hangs when I try to do something.
+* Q2.4.7:: I get an error message when XEmacs is running in batch mode.
+* Q2.4.8:: The keyboard or mouse is not working properly, or I have some other event-related problem.
+* Q2.4.9:: C-g doesn't work for me. Is it broken?
+* Q2.4.10:: How do I debug process-related problems?
+* Q2.4.11:: XEmacs is outputting lots of X errors.
+* Q2.4.12:: After upgrading, XEmacs won't do `foo' any more!
+
+2.5: Startup-Related Problems
+* Q2.5.1:: XEmacs cannot connect to my X Terminal!
+* Q2.5.2:: Startup problems related to paths or package locations.
+* Q2.5.3:: XEmacs won't start without network.
+* Q2.5.4:: Startup warnings about deducing proper fonts?
+* Q2.5.5:: Warnings from incorrect key modifiers.
+* Q2.5.6:: XEmacs 21.1 on Windows used to spawn an ugly console window on every startup. Has that been fixed?
+
+3 Editing Functions
+
+3.0: The Keyboard
+* Q3.0.1:: How can I customize the keyboard?
+* Q3.0.2:: How can I bind complex functions (or macros) to keys?
+* Q3.0.3:: How do I bind C-. and C-; to scroll one line up and down?
+* Q3.0.4:: Globally binding Delete?
+* Q3.0.5:: How to map Help key alone on Sun type4 keyboard?
+* Q3.0.6:: How can you type in special characters in XEmacs?
+* Q3.0.7:: Can I turn on "sticky" modifier keys?
+* Q3.0.8:: How do I map the arrow keys?
+* Q3.0.9:: HP Alt key as Meta.
+* Q3.0.10:: Why does edt emulation not work?
+* Q3.0.11:: How can I emulate VI and use it as my default mode?
+
+3.1: The Mouse
+* Q3.1.1:: How can I turn off Mouse pasting?
+* Q3.1.2:: How do I set control/meta/etc modifiers on mouse buttons?
+* Q3.1.3:: Clicking the left button does not do anything in buffer list.
+* Q3.1.4:: How can I get a list of buffers when I hit mouse button 3?
+* Q3.1.5:: How can I set XEmacs up so that it pastes where the text cursor is?
+
+3.2: Buffers, Text Editing
+* Q3.2.1:: Can I have the end of the buffer delimited in some way?
+* Q3.2.2:: How do I insert today's date into a buffer?
+* Q3.2.3:: How do I get a single minibuffer frame?
+* Q3.2.4:: How can I enable auto-indent and/or Filladapt?
+* Q3.2.5:: How can I get XEmacs to come up in text/auto-fill mode by default?
+
+3.3: Text Selections
+* Q3.3.1:: How do I select a rectangular region?
+* Q3.3.2:: How can I turn off or change highlighted selections?
+* Q3.3.3:: How do I cause typing on an active region to remove it?
+* Q3.3.4:: Can I turn off the highlight during isearch?
+* Q3.3.5:: Why is killing so slow?
+* Q3.3.6:: Why does M-w take so long?
+
+3.4: Editing Source Code
+* Q3.4.1:: I do not like cc-mode. How do I use the old c-mode?
+* Q3.4.2:: How do you make XEmacs indent CL if-clauses correctly?
+
+4 Display Functions
+
+4.0: Textual Fonts and Colors
+* Q4.0.1:: How do I specify a font?
+* Q4.0.2:: How do I set the text, menu and modeline fonts?
+* Q4.0.3:: How can I set color options from `init.el'?
+* Q4.0.4:: How can I set the colors when highlighting a region?
+* Q4.0.5:: How can I limit color map usage?
+* Q4.0.6:: My tty supports color, but XEmacs doesn't use them.
+* Q4.0.7:: Can I have pixmap backgrounds in XEmacs?
+* Q4.0.8:: How do I display non-ASCII characters?
+* Q4.0.9:: Font selections in don't get saved after `Save Options'.
+
+4.1: Syntax Highlighting (Font Lock)
+* Q4.1.1:: How can I do source code highlighting using font-lock?
+* Q4.1.2:: How do I get `More' Syntax Highlighting on by default?
+
+4.2: The Modeline
+* Q4.2.1:: How can I make the modeline go away?
+* Q4.2.2:: How do you have XEmacs display the line number in the modeline?
+* Q4.2.3:: How do I get XEmacs to put the time of day on the modeline?
+* Q4.2.4:: How can I change the modeline color based on the mode used?
+
+4.3: The Cursor
+* Q4.3.1:: Is there a way to make the bar cursor thicker?
+* Q4.3.2:: Is there a way to get back the block cursor?
+* Q4.3.3:: Can I make the cursor blink?
+
+4.4: The Menubar
+* Q4.4.1:: How do I get rid of the menubar?
+* Q4.4.2:: How can I customize the menubar?
+* Q4.4.3:: How do I enable use of the keyboard (Alt) to access menu items?
+* Q4.4.4:: How do I control how many buffers are listed in the menu `Buffers List'?
+* Q4.4.5:: Resources like `Emacs*menubar*font' are not working?
+
+4.5: The Toolbar
+* Q4.5.1:: How do I get rid of the toolbar?
+* Q4.5.2:: How can I customize the toolbar?
+* Q4.5.3:: How can I bind a key to a function to toggle the toolbar?
+* Q4.5.4:: `Can't instantiate image error...' in toolbar
+
+4.6: Scrollbars and Scrolling
+* Q4.6.1:: How can I disable the scrollbar?
+* Q4.6.2:: How can I change the scrollbar width?
+* Q4.6.3:: How can I use resources to change scrollbar colors?
+* Q4.6.4:: Moving the scrollbar can move the point; can I disable this?
+* Q4.6.5:: Scrolling one line at a time.
+* Q4.6.6:: How can I turn off automatic horizontal scrolling in specific modes?
+* Q4.6.7:: I find auto-show-mode disconcerting. How do I turn it off?
+
+4.7: The Gutter Tabs, The Progress Bar, Widgets
+* Q4.7.1:: How can I disable the gutter tabs?
+* Q4.7.2:: How can I disable the progress bar?
+* Q4.7.3:: There are bugs in the gutter or widgets.
+* Q4.7.4:: How can I customize the gutter or gutter tabs?
+
+5 Interfacing with the Operating System and External Devices
+
+5.0: X Window System and Resources
+* Q5.0.1:: Where is a list of X resources?
+* Q5.0.2:: How can I detect a color display?
+* Q5.0.3:: How can I get the icon to just say `XEmacs'?
+* Q5.0.4:: How can I have the window title area display the full path?
+* Q5.0.5:: `xemacs -name junk' doesn't work?
+* Q5.0.6:: `-iconic' doesn't work.
+
+5.1: Microsoft Windows
+* Q5.1.1:: Does XEmacs rename all the `win32-*' symbols to `w32-*'?
+* Q5.1.2:: How do I get Windows Explorer to associate a file type with XEmacs?
+
+5.2: Printing
+* Q5.2.1:: What do I need to change to make printing work?
+* Q5.2.2:: How can I print WYSIWYG a font-locked buffer?
+* Q5.2.3:: Getting M-x lpr to work with postscript printer.
+* Q5.2.4:: Can you print under MS Windows?
+
+5.3: Sound
+* Q5.3.1:: How do I turn off the sound?
+* Q5.3.2:: How do I get funky sounds instead of a boring beep?
+* Q5.3.3:: What are NAS and ESD (EsounD)?
+* Q5.3.4:: Sunsite sounds don't play.
+
+5.4: Running an Interior Shell, Invoking Subprocesses
+* Q5.4.1:: What is an interior shell?
+* Q5.4.2:: How do I start up a second shell buffer?
+* Q5.4.3:: Telnet from shell filters too much
+* Q5.4.4:: Strange things are happening in Shell Mode.
+* Q5.4.5:: XEmacs complains "No such file or directory, diff"
+* Q5.4.6:: Cygwin error "fork_copy: linked dll/bss pass 0 failed"
+
+5.5: Multiple Device Support
+* Q5.5.1:: How do I open a frame on another screen of my multi-headed display?
+* Q5.5.2:: Can I really connect to a running XEmacs after calling up over a modem? How?
+* Q5.5.3:: How do I disable gnuserv from opening a new frame?
+* Q5.5.4:: How do I start gnuserv so that each subsequent XEmacs is a client?
+* Q5.5.5:: Is there a way to start a new XEmacs if there's no gnuserv running, and otherwise use gnuclient?
+
+6 Connecting to the Internet
+
+6.0: General Mail and News
+* Q6.0.1:: What are the various packages for reading mail?
+* Q6.0.2:: How can I send mail?
+* Q6.0.3:: How do I get my outgoing mail archived?
+* Q6.0.4:: How can I read and/or compose MIME messages?
+* Q6.0.5:: How do I customize the From line?
+* Q6.0.6:: How do I get my MUA to filter mail for me?
+* Q6.0.7:: Remote mail reading with an MUA.
+* Q6.0.8:: An MUA gets an error incorporating new mail.
+* Q6.0.9:: Why isn't `movemail' working?
+* Q6.0.10:: How do I make my MUA display graphical smilies?
+* Q6.0.11:: How can I get those oh-so-neat X-Face lines?
+
+6.1: Reading Mail with VM
+* Q6.1.1:: How do I set up VM to retrieve mail from a remote site using POP?
+* Q6.1.2:: How can I get VM to automatically check for new mail?
+* Q6.1.3:: I have various addresses at which I receive mail. How can I tell VM to ignore them when doing a "reply-all"?
+* Q6.1.4:: Is there a mailing list or FAQ for VM?
+* Q6.1.5:: How do I make VM stay in a single frame?
+* Q6.1.6:: Customization of VM not covered in the manual, or here.
+
+6.2: Reading Netnews and Mail with Gnus
+* Q6.2.1:: GNUS, (ding) Gnus, Gnus 5, September Gnus, Red Gnus, Quassia Gnus, argh!
+* Q6.2.2:: How do I make Gnus stay within a single frame?
+
+6.3: FTP Access
+* Q6.3.1:: Can I edit files on other hosts?
+* Q6.3.2:: What is EFS?
+
+6.4: Web Browsing with W3
+* Q6.4.1:: What is W3?
+* Q6.4.2:: How do I run W3 from behind a firewall?
+* Q6.4.3:: Is it true that W3 supports style sheets and tables?
+
+7 Advanced Customization Using XEmacs Lisp
+
+7.0: Emacs Lisp and `init.el'
+* Q7.0.1:: What version of Emacs am I running?
+* Q7.0.2:: How can I evaluate Emacs-Lisp expressions?
+* Q7.0.3:: `(setq tab-width 6)' behaves oddly.
+* Q7.0.4:: How can I add directories to the `load-path'?
+* Q7.0.5:: How to check if a lisp function is defined?
+* Q7.0.6:: Can I force the output of `(face-list)' to a buffer?
+
+7.1: Emacs Lisp Programming Techniques
+* Q7.1.1:: What is the difference in key sequences between XEmacs and GNU Emacs?
+* Q7.1.2:: Can I generate "fake" keyboard events?
+* Q7.1.3:: Could you explain `read-kbd-macro' in more detail?
+* Q7.1.4:: What is the performance hit of `let'?
+* Q7.1.5:: What is the recommended use of `setq'?
+* Q7.1.6:: What is the typical misuse of `setq'?
+* Q7.1.7:: I like the `do' form of cl, does it slow things down?
+* Q7.1.8:: I like recursion, does it slow things down?
+* Q7.1.9:: How do I put a glyph as annotation in a buffer?
+* Q7.1.10:: `map-extents' won't traverse all of my extents!
+* Q7.1.11:: My elisp program is horribly slow. Is there an easy way to find out where it spends time?
+
+7.2: Mathematics
+* Q7.2.1:: What are bignums, ratios, and bigfloats in Lisp?
+* Q7.2.2:: XEmacs segfaults when I use very big numbers!
+* Q7.2.3:: Bignums are really slow!
+* Q7.2.4:: Equal bignums don't compare as equal! What gives?
+
+8 Other External Packages
+
+8.0: TeX
+* Q8.0.1:: Is there something better than LaTeX mode?
+* Q8.0.2:: What is AUCTeX? Where do you get it?
+* Q8.0.3:: Problems installing AUCTeX.
+* Q8.0.4:: How do I turn off current chapter from AUCTeX modeline?
+
+8.1: Other Unbundled Packages
+* Q8.1.1:: Is there a reason for an Emacs package not to be included in XEmacs?
+* Q8.1.2:: Are there any Emacs Lisp Spreadsheets?
+* Q8.1.3:: Is there a MatLab mode?
+
+8.2: Environments Built Around XEmacs
+* Q8.2.1:: What are SPARCworks, EOS, and WorkShop?
+* Q8.2.2:: How do I start the Sun Workshop support in XEmacs 21?
+* Q8.2.3:: What is/was Energize?
+* Q8.2.4:: What is Infodock?
+
+9 What the Future Holds
+
+9.0: Changes
+* Q9.0.1:: What new features will be in XEmacs soon?
+* Q9.0.2:: What's new in XEmacs 21.4?
+* Q9.0.3:: What's new in XEmacs 21.1?
+* Q9.0.4:: What's new in XEmacs 20.4?
+* Q9.0.5:: What's new in XEmacs 20.3?
+* Q9.0.6:: What's new in XEmacs 20.2?
+
+10 New information about old XEmacsen
+
+10.0: XEmacs 21.1
+* Q10.0.1:: Gnus 5.10 won't display smileys in XEmacs 21.1.
+* Q10.0.2:: XEmacs won't start on Windows in XEmacs 21.1.
\1f
File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Introduction, Next: Installation, Prev: Top, Up: Top
1 Introduction, Policy, Credits
*******************************
- Learning XEmacs is a lifelong activity. Even people who have used
-Emacs for years keep discovering new features. Therefore this document
-cannot be complete. Instead it is aimed at the person who is either
+Learning XEmacs is a lifelong activity. Even people who have used Emacs
+for years keep discovering new features. Therefore this document cannot
+be complete. Instead it is aimed at the person who is either
considering XEmacs for their own use, or has just obtained it and is
wondering what to do next. It is also useful as a reference to
available resources.
The previous maintainer of the FAQ was Anthony Rossini
<rossini@biostat.washington.edu>, who started it, after getting tired
of hearing JWZ complain about repeatedly having to answer questions.
-Ben Wing <ben@xemacs.org> and Chuck Thompson <cthomp@xemacs.org>, the
-principal authors of XEmacs, then took over and Ben did a massive
-update reorganizing the whole thing. At which point Anthony took back
-over, but then had to give it up again. Some of the other contributors
-to this FAQ are listed later in this document.
+Ben Wing <ben@xemacs.org> then took over and did a massive update
+reorganizing the whole thing. At this point Anthony took back over,
+but then had to give it up again. Some of the other contributors to
+this FAQ are listed later in this document.
The previous version was converted to hypertext format, and edited by
Steven L. Baur <steve@xemacs.org>. It was converted back to texinfo by
Hrvoje Niksic <hniksic@xemacs.org>. The FAQ was then maintained by
-Andreas Kaempf <andreas@sccon.com>, who passed it on to ChristianNyb/o.
+Andreas Kaempf <andreas@sccon.com>, who passed it on to ChristianNyb/o,
+and then to Sandra Wambold <wambold@xemacs.org>.
+
+ The current version of the FAQ has been heavily redone by Ben Wing
+<ben@xemacs.org>.
If you notice any errors or items which should be added or amended to
-this FAQ please send email to Sandra Wambold <faq@xemacs.org>. Include
+this FAQ please send email to <xemacs-beta@xemacs.org>. Include
`XEmacs FAQ' on the Subject: line.
* Menu:
-Introduction:
-* Q1.0.1:: What is XEmacs?
-* Q1.0.2:: What is the current version of XEmacs?
-* Q1.0.3:: Where can I find it?
-* Q1.0.4:: Why Another Version of Emacs?
-* Q1.0.5:: Why Haven't XEmacs and GNU Emacs Merged?
-* Q1.0.6:: Where can I get help?
-* Q1.0.7:: Where is the mailing list archived?
-* Q1.0.8:: How do you pronounce XEmacs?
-* Q1.0.9:: What does XEmacs look like?
-* Q1.0.10:: Is there a port of XEmacs to Microsoft ('95 or NT)?
-* Q1.0.11:: Is there a port of XEmacs to the Macintosh?
-* Q1.0.12:: Is there a port of XEmacs to NextStep?
-* Q1.0.13:: Is there a port of XEmacs to OS/2?
-* Q1.0.14:: Where can I get a printed copy of the XEmacs users manual?
-
-Policies:
-* Q1.1.1:: What is the FAQ editorial policy?
-* Q1.1.2:: How do I become a Beta Tester?
-* Q1.1.3:: How do I contribute to XEmacs itself?
-
-Credits:
-* Q1.2.1:: Who wrote XEmacs?
-* Q1.2.2:: Who contributed to this version of the FAQ?
-* Q1.2.3:: Who contributed to the FAQ in the past?
-
-Internationalization:
-* Q1.3.1:: What is the status of XEmacs v20?
-* Q1.3.2:: What is the status of Asian-language support, aka MULE?
-* Q1.3.3:: How do I type non-ASCII characters?
-* Q1.3.4:: Can XEmacs messages come out in a different language?
-* Q1.3.5:: Please explain the various input methods in MULE/XEmacs 20.0
-* Q1.3.6:: How do I portably code for MULE/XEmacs 20.0?
-* Q1.3.7:: How about Cyrillic Modes?
-
-Getting Started:
-* Q1.4.1:: What is a `.emacs' and is there a sample one?
-* Q1.4.2:: Can I use the same `.emacs' with the other Emacs?
-* Q1.4.3:: Any good XEmacs tutorials around?
-* Q1.4.4:: May I see an example of a useful XEmacs Lisp function?
-* Q1.4.5:: And how do I bind it to a key?
-* Q1.4.6:: What's the difference between a macro and a function?
+1.0: What is XEmacs?
+* Q1.0.1:: What is XEmacs?
+* Q1.0.2:: What is the current version of XEmacs?
+* Q1.0.3:: How do you pronounce XEmacs?
+* Q1.0.4:: What does XEmacs look like?
+* Q1.0.5:: Who wrote XEmacs?
+* Q1.0.6:: Who wrote the FAQ?
+
+1.1: Getting XEmacs
+* Q1.1.1:: Where can I find XEmacs?
+* Q1.1.2:: Are binaries available?
+* Q1.1.3:: How do I get the bleeding-edge sources?
+* Q1.1.4:: Where can I obtain a printed copy of the XEmacs User's Manual?
+
+1.2: Versions for Different Operating Systems
+* Q1.2.1:: Do I need X11 to run XEmacs?
+* Q1.2.2:: What versions of Unix does XEmacs run on?
+* Q1.2.3:: Is there a port of XEmacs to Microsoft Windows?
+* Q1.2.4:: Can I build XEmacs on MS Windows with X support? Do I need to?
+* Q1.2.5:: What are Cygwin and MinGW, and do I need them to run XEmacs?
+* Q1.2.6:: What are the differences between the various MS Windows emacsen?
+* Q1.2.7:: How does the port cope with differences in the Windows user interface?
+* Q1.2.8:: Is there a port of XEmacs to the Macintosh?
+* Q1.2.9:: Is there a port of XEmacs to MS-DOS?
+* Q1.2.10:: Is there a port of XEmacs to OS/2?
+* Q1.2.11:: Is there a port of XEmacs to NextStep?
+* Q1.2.12:: Is there a port of XEmacs to VMS?
+
+1.3: Getting Started
+* Q1.3.1:: What is an `init.el' or `.emacs' and is there a sample one?
+* Q1.3.2:: Where do I put my `init.el' file?
+* Q1.3.3:: Can I use the same `init.el' with the other Emacs?
+* Q1.3.4:: Any good XEmacs tutorials around?
+* Q1.3.5:: May I see an example of a useful XEmacs Lisp function?
+* Q1.3.6:: And how do I bind it to a key?
+* Q1.3.7:: What's the difference between a macro and a function?
+* Q1.3.8:: What is `Custom'?
+
+1.4: Getting Help
+* Q1.4.1:: Where can I get help?
+* Q1.4.2:: Which mailing lists are there?
+* Q1.4.3:: Where are the mailing lists archived?
+* Q1.4.4:: How can I get two instances of info?
+* Q1.4.5:: How do I add new Info directories?
+
+1.5: Contributing to XEmacs
+* Q1.5.1:: How do I submit changes to the FAQ?
+* Q1.5.2:: How do I become a beta tester?
+* Q1.5.3:: How do I contribute to XEmacs itself?
+* Q1.5.4:: How do I get started developing XEmacs?
+* Q1.5.5:: What's the basic layout of the code?
+
+1.6: Politics (XEmacs vs. GNU Emacs)
+* Q1.6.1:: What is GNU Emacs?
+* Q1.6.2:: How does XEmacs differ from GNU Emacs?
+* Q1.6.3:: How much does XEmacs differ?
+* Q1.6.4:: Is XEmacs "GNU"?
+* Q1.6.5:: What is the correct way to refer to XEmacs and GNU Emacs?
+* Q1.6.6:: Why haven't XEmacs and GNU Emacs merged?
+
+1.7: External Packages
+* Q1.7.1:: What is the package system?
+* Q1.7.2:: Which external packages are there?
+* Q1.7.3:: Do I need to have the packages to run XEmacs?
+* Q1.7.4:: Is there a way to find which package has particular functionality?
+
+1.8: Internationalization
+* Q1.8.1:: What is the status of internationalization support aka MULE (including Asian language support)?
+* Q1.8.2:: How can I help with internationalization?
+* Q1.8.3:: How do I type non-ASCII characters?
+* Q1.8.4:: Can XEmacs messages come out in a different language?
+* Q1.8.5:: Please explain the various input methods in MULE/XEmacs
+* Q1.8.6:: How do I portably code for MULE/XEmacs?
+* Q1.8.7:: How about Cyrillic modes?
+* Q1.8.8:: Does XEmacs support Unicode?
+* Q1.8.9:: How does XEmacs display Unicode?
+
+1.0: What is XEmacs?
+====================
\1f
File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.0.1, Next: Q1.0.2, Prev: Introduction, Up: Introduction
-1.0: Introduction
-=================
-
Q1.0.1: What is XEmacs?
-----------------------
- An alternative to GNU Emacs, originally based on an early alpha
-version of FSF's version 19, and has diverged quite a bit since then.
-XEmacs was known as Lucid Emacs through version 19.10. Almost all
-features of GNU Emacs are supported in XEmacs. The maintainers of
-XEmacs actively track changes to GNU Emacs while also working to add
-new features.
+XEmacs is a powerful, highly customizable open source text editor and
+application development system, with full GUI support. It is protected
+under the GNU Public License and related to other versions of Emacs, in
+particular GNU Emacs. Its emphasis is on modern graphical user
+interface support and an open software development model, similar to
+Linux. XEmacs has an active development community numbering in the
+hundreds (and thousands of active beta testers on top of this), and
+runs on all versions of MS Windows, on Mac OS X, on Linux, and on
+nearly every other version of Unix in existence. Support for XEmacs
+has been supplied by Sun Microsystems, University of Illinois, Lucid,
+ETL/Electrotechnical Laboratory, Amdahl Corporation, BeOpen, and
+others, as well as the unpaid time of a great number of individual
+developers.
\1f
File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.0.2, Next: Q1.0.3, Prev: Q1.0.1, Up: Introduction
Q1.0.2: What is the current version of XEmacs?
----------------------------------------------
- XEmacs 21.1.8 is the current stable version of XEmacs.
+XEmacs versions 21.4.* are releases made from the current stable
+sources. XEmacs versions 21.5.* (which will be released as 22.0) are
+releases made from the development sources. Check at
+`http://www.xemacs.org' for the current minor version. XEmacs versions
+21.1.* were the previous stable releases, now retired.
- XEmacs 20.4 is a minor upgrade from 20.3, containing many bugfixes.
-It was released in February 1998.
+ XEmacs 20.4, released in February 1998, was the last release of v20.
- XEmacs 19.16 was the last release of v19, released in November, 1997,
-which was also the last version without international language support.
+ XEmacs 19.16, released in November, 1997. was the last release of
+v19, and was also the last version without international language
+support.
\1f
File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.0.3, Next: Q1.0.4, Prev: Q1.0.2, Up: Introduction
-Q1.0.3: Where can I find it?
-----------------------------
-
- The canonical source and binaries can be found via anonymous FTP at:
+Q1.0.3: How do you pronounce XEmacs?
+------------------------------------
- `ftp://ftp.xemacs.org/pub/xemacs/'
+The most common pronounciation is `Eks eemax'.
\1f
File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.0.4, Next: Q1.0.5, Prev: Q1.0.3, Up: Introduction
-Q1.0.4: Why Another Version of Emacs?
--------------------------------------
-
- For a detailed description of the differences between GNU Emacs and
-XEmacs and a detailed history of XEmacs, check out the
- NEWS file (http://www.xemacs.org/About/XEmacsVsGNUemacs.html)
-
- However, here is a list of some of the reasons why we think you might
-consider using it:
-
- * It looks nicer.
-
- * The XEmacs maintainers are generally more receptive to suggestions
- than the GNU Emacs maintainers.
-
- * Many more bundled packages than GNU Emacs
-
- * Binaries are available for many common operating systems.
-
- * Face support on TTY's.
-
- * A built-in toolbar.
-
- * Better Motif compliance.
-
- * Some internationalization support (including full MULE support, if
- compiled with it.)
-
- * Variable-width fonts.
-
- * Variable-height lines.
-
- * Marginal annotations.
-
- * ToolTalk support.
-
- * XEmacs can be used as an Xt widget, and can be embedded within
- another application.
-
- * Horizontal and vertical scrollbars (using real toolkit scrollbars).
-
- * Better APIs (and performance) for attaching fonts, colors, and
- other properties to text.
-
- * The ability to embed arbitrary graphics in a buffer.
-
- * Completely compatible (at the C level) with the Xt-based toolkits.
+Q1.0.4: What does XEmacs look like?
+-----------------------------------
- * First production Web Browser supporting Style Sheets.
+Screen snapshots are available at
+`http://www.xemacs.org/About/Screenshots/index.html' as part of the
+XEmacs website.
\1f
File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.0.5, Next: Q1.0.6, Prev: Q1.0.4, Up: Introduction
-Q1.0.5: Why Haven't XEmacs and GNU Emacs Merged?
-------------------------------------------------
-
- There are currently irreconcilable differences in the views about
-technical, programming, design and organizational matters between RMS
-and the XEmacs development team which provide little hope for a merge to
-take place in the short-term future.
+Q1.0.5: Who wrote XEmacs?
+-------------------------
- If you have a comment to add regarding the merge, it is a good idea
-to avoid posting to the newsgroups, because of the very heated
-flamewars that often result. Mail your questions to
-<xemacs-beta@xemacs.org> and <bug-gnu-emacs@prep.ai.mit.edu>.
+XEmacs is the result of the time and effort of many people, and the
+active developers have changed over time. There are two major
+components of the XEmacs effort - writing the code itself and providing
+all the support work (testing the code, releasing beta and final
+versions, handling patches, reading bug reports, maintaining the web
+site, managing the mailing lists, etc. etc.). Neither component would
+work without the other.
-\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.0.6, Next: Q1.0.7, Prev: Q1.0.5, Up: Introduction
+CODING
+------
-Q1.0.6: Where can I get help?
------------------------------
+The primary code contributor over the years has been Ben Wing (active
+since late 1992). Between 1991 and 1995, large amounts of coding was
+contributed by Jamie Zawinski and Chuck Thompson. Many other people
+have authored major subsystems or otherwise contributed large amounts of
+code, including Andy Piper, Hrvoje Niksic, Jerry James, Jonathan Harris,
+Kyle Jones, Martin Buchholz, Michael Sperber, Olivier Galibert, Richard
+Mlynarik, Stig, William Perry and plenty of others.
- Probably the easiest way, if everything is installed, is to use
-Info, by pressing `C-h i', or selecting `Manuals->Info' from the Help
-Menu. `M-x apropos' can be used to look for particular commands.
+ Primary XEmacs-specific subsystems and their authors:
- For items not found in the manual, try reading this FAQ and reading
-the Usenet group comp.emacs.xemacs.
+Objects
+ - Conversion from 26-bit to 28-bit pointers and integers,
+ lrecords, lcrecords: Richard Mlynarik, 1994
- If you choose to post to a newsgroup, *please use
-comp.emacs.xemacs*. Please do not post XEmacs related questions to
-gnu.emacs.help.
+ - Conversion to 32-bit pointers and 31-bit integers: Kyle
+ Jones, Martin Buchholz
- If you cannot post or read Usenet news, there is a corresponding
-mailing list which is available. It can be subscribed to by sending a
-message to <xemacs-request@xemacs.org> with `subscribe' in the body of
-the message. Send to the list at <xemacs@xemacs.org>. list. To
-cancel a subscription, you *must* use the xemacs-request address. Send
-a message with a subject of `unsubscribe' to be removed.
+ - Portable dumper, object descriptions: Olivier Galibert
-\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.0.7, Next: Q1.0.8, Prev: Q1.0.6, Up: Introduction
+ - KKCC (new garbage collector), ephemerons, weak boxes: Michael
+ Sperber and students
-Q1.0.7: Where is the mailing list archived?
--------------------------------------------
+ - Random object work (object equal and hash methods, weak
+ lists, lcrecord lists, bit vectors, dynarr, blocktype,
+ opaque, string resizing): Ben Wing
- The archives can be found at `http://www.xemacs.org/Lists/Archive'
+ - Profiling: Ben Wing
-\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.0.8, Next: Q1.0.9, Prev: Q1.0.7, Up: Introduction
+ - Some byte-compilation and hash-table improvements: Martin
+ Buchholz
-Q1.0.8: How do you pronounce XEmacs?
-------------------------------------
+ - Bignum: Jerry James
- The most common pronounciation is `Eks eemax'.
+Internationalization/Mule
+ - mostly Ben Wing; many ideas for future work, Stephen Turnbull
-\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.0.9, Next: Q1.0.10, Prev: Q1.0.8, Up: Introduction
+I/O
+ - Basic event/event-stream implementation: Jamie Zawinski
-Q1.0.9: What does XEmacs look like?
------------------------------------
+ - Most event work since 1994: Ben Wing
- Screen snapshots are available in the WWW version of the FAQ.
- `http://www.xemacs.org/faq/xemacs-faq.html'
+ - Asynchronous stuff (async timeouts, signals, quit-checking):
+ Ben Wing
-\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.0.10, Next: Q1.0.11, Prev: Q1.0.9, Up: Introduction
+ - Process method abstraction, Windows process work: Kirill
+ Katsnelson
-Q1.0.10: Is there a port of XEmacs to Microsoft ('95 or NT)?
-------------------------------------------------------------
+ - Misc-user events, async timeouts, most quit-checking and
+ signal code, most other work since 1994: Ben Wing
- Yes, *Note MS Windows::.
+ - Lstreams: Ben Wing
-\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.0.11, Next: Q1.0.12, Prev: Q1.0.10, Up: Introduction
+Display
+ - Redisplay mechanism: implementation, Chuck Thompson;
+ additional work, lots of people
-Q1.0.11: Is there a port of XEmacs to the Macintosh?
-----------------------------------------------------
+ - Glyphs: mostly Ben Wing
- Yes, there is a port of XEmacs 19.14, tested on MacOS 7.6.1 and MacOS
-8.5.1 by Pitts Jarvis (pjarvis@ispchannel.com). It's available at
-http://my.ispchannel.com/~pjarvis/xemacs.html
-(http://my.ispchannel.com/~pjarvis/xemacs.html).
+ - Specifiers: Ben Wing
-\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.0.12, Next: Q1.0.13, Prev: Q1.0.11, Up: Introduction
+ - Extents: initial implementation, someone at Lucid; rewrite,
+ 1994, Ben Wing
-Q1.0.12: Is there a port of XEmacs to NextStep?
------------------------------------------------
+ - Widgets: Andy Piper
- Carl Edman, apparently no longer at <cedman@princeton.edu>, did the
-port of GNU Emacs to NeXTstep and expressed interest in doing the
-XEmacs port, but never went any farther.
+ - JPEG/PNG/TIFF image converters: Ben Wing, William Perry,
+ Jareth Hein, others (see comment in `glyphs-eimage.c')
-\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.0.13, Next: Q1.0.14, Prev: Q1.0.12, Up: Introduction
+ - Menus: Jamie Zawinski, someone at Lucid (Lucid menus)
-Q1.0.13: Is there a port of XEmacs to OS/2?
--------------------------------------------
+ - Scrollbars: Chuck Thompson, ??? (Lucid scrollbar)
- No, but Alexander Nikolaev <avn_1251@mail.ru> is working on it.
+ - Multi-device/device-independence work (console/device/etc
+ methods): Ben Wing, prototype by chuck thompson
-\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.0.14, Next: Q1.1.1, Prev: Q1.0.13, Up: Introduction
+ - Faces: first implementation, Jamie Zawinski; second, chuck;
+ third, Ben Wing
-Q1.0.14: Where can I obtain a printed copy of the XEmacs users manual?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
+ - Fonts/colors: first implementation, Jamie Zawinski; further
+ work, Ben Wing
- Pre-printed manuals are not available. If you are familiar with
-TeX, you can generate your own manual from the XEmacs sources.
+ - Toolbars: implementation, chuck, much interface work, Ben Wing
- HTML and Postscript versions of XEmacs manuals may be available from
-the XEmacs web site in the future.
+ - Gutters, tabs: andy piper
-\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.1.1, Next: Q1.1.2, Prev: Q1.0.14, Up: Introduction
+Device subsystems
+ - X Windows: Jamie Zawinksi, Ben Wing, others
-1.1: Policies
-=============
+ - GTK: William Perry, Malcolm Purvis
-Q1.1.1: What is the FAQ editorial policy?
------------------------------------------
+ - MS Windows: initial implementation, Jonathan Harris; some
+ more work, Andy Piper, Ben Wing
- The FAQ is actively maintained and modified regularly. All links
-should be up to date. Unfortunately, some of the information is out of
-date - a situation which the FAQ maintainer is working on. All
-submissions are welcome, please e-mail submissions to XEmacs FAQ
-maintainers <faq@xemacs.org>.
+ - TTY: Chuck Thompson, Ben Wing
- Please make sure that `XEmacs FAQ' appears on the Subject: line. If
-you think you have a better way of answering a question, or think a
-question should be included, we'd like to hear about it. Questions and
-answers included into the FAQ will be edited for spelling and grammar,
-and will be attributed. Answers appearing without attribution are
-either from versions of the FAQ dated before May 1996, or are from one
-of the four people listed at the top of this document. Answers quoted
-from Usenet news articles will always be attributed, regardless of the
-author.
+ - Cygwin: Andy Piper
-\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.1.2, Next: Q1.1.3, Prev: Q1.1.1, Up: Introduction
+Misc
+ - Configure: initial porting from fsf, Chuck Thompson;
+ conversion to autoconf 2, much rewriting, Martin Buchholz
-Q1.1.2: How do I become a Beta Tester?
---------------------------------------
+ - Most initialization-related code: Ben Wing
- Send an email message to <xemacs-beta-request@xemacs.org> with the
-line `subscribe' in the body of the message.
+ - Internals manual, much of Lisp manual: Ben Wing
- Be prepared to get your hands dirty, as beta testers are expected to
-identify problems as best they can.
+ - FSF synching: initial sync with FSF 19, Richard Mlynarik,
+ further work, Ben Wing
-\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.1.3, Next: Q1.2.1, Prev: Q1.1.2, Up: Introduction
+SUPPORT
+-------
-Q1.1.3: How do I contribute to XEmacs itself?
----------------------------------------------
+Currently, support duties are handled by many different people.
- Ben Wing <ben@xemacs.org> writes:
+ Release managers have been
- BTW if you have a wish list of things that you want added, you
- have to speak up about it! More specifically, you can do the
- following if you want a feature added (in increasing order of
- usefulness):
+ - Stephen Turnbull (April 2001 - January 2003, March 2004 - present,
+ 21.2.47 - 21.4.12, 21.5.2 - 21.5.7, 21.5.17 - present)
- * Make a posting about a feature you want added.
+ - Vin Shelton (Mar 1997 - Jan 2001, May 2003 - present, 19.16,
+ 21.1.3 - 21.1.14, 21.4.13 - present)
- * Become a beta tester and make more postings about those same
- features.
+ - Steve Youngs (July 2002 - September 2003, 21.5.8 - 21.5.16)
- * Convince us that you're going to use the features in some
- cool and useful way.
+ - Martin Buchholz (December 1998, November 1999 - May 2001, 21.2.7 -
+ 21.2.8, 21.2.21 - 21.2.46, 21.5.0 - 21.5.1)
- * Come up with a clear and well-thought-out API concerning the
- features.
+ - Steve Baur (early 1997 - December 1998, February 1999 - November
+ 1999, 19.15 - 21.2.5, 21.2.9 - 21.2.20)
- * Write the code to implement a feature and send us a patch.
+ - Andy Piper (December 1998, 21.2.6)
- (not that we're necessarily requiring you to write the code, but
- we can always hope :)
+ - Chuck Thompson (June 1994 - September 1996, 19.11 - 19.14)
-\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.2.1, Next: Q1.2.2, Prev: Q1.1.3, Up: Introduction
+ - Jamie Zawinski (April 1991 - June 1994, 19.0 - 19.10)
-1.2: Credits
-============
+ The recent overlapping dates are intentional, since two or three
+trees are maintained simultaneously at any point.
-Q1.2.1: Who wrote XEmacs?
--------------------------
+ Other major support work:
- XEmacs is the result of the time and effort of many people. The
-developers responsible for the 19.16/20.x releases are:
+ - Adrian Aichner wrote and maintains the web site.
- * Martin Buchholz <martin@xemacs.org>
+ - Stephen Turnbull has produced many of the beta and semi-stable
+ releases and has attempted to be the "face" of XEmacs on the
+ newsgroups and mailing lists.
- * Steve Baur <steve@xemacs.org>
+ - Steve Youngs currently produces the beta releases (???).
- * Hrvoje Niksic <hniksic@xemacs.org>
+ - Steve Youngs, Ville Skytta, and now Norbert Koch have taken turns
+ maintaining the packages.
+ - Vin Shelton maintains the stable releases.
- The developers responsible for the 19.14 release are:
+ - Testing - #### Norbert, Adrian, ???
- * Chuck Thompson <cthomp@xemacs.org>
+ Portraits and email of some of the major developers:
- Chuck was Mr. XEmacs from 19.11 through 19.14, and is responsible
- for XEmacs becoming a widely distributed program over the Internet.
+ * Andy Piper <andy@xemacs.org>
* Ben Wing <ben@xemacs.org>
+ * Chuck Thompson <cthomp@xemacs.org>
+
+ * Hrvoje Niksic <hniksic@xemacs.org>
* Jamie Zawinski <jwz@jwz.org>
- Jamie Zawinski was Mr. Lucid Emacs from 19.0 through 19.10, the
- last release actually named Lucid Emacs. Richard Mlynarik was
- crucial to most of those releases.
+ * Martin Buchholz <martin@xemacs.org>
* Richard Mlynarik <mly@adoc.xerox.com>
- Along with many other contributors, partially enumerated in the
-`About XEmacs' option in the Help menu.
-
-\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.2.2, Next: Q1.2.3, Prev: Q1.2.1, Up: Introduction
-
-Q1.2.2: Who contributed to this version of the FAQ?
----------------------------------------------------
+ * Stephen Turnbull <stephen@xemacs.org>
- The following people contributed valuable suggestions to building
-this version of the FAQ (listed in alphabetical order):
+ * Steve Baur <steve@xemacs.org>
- * SL Baur <steve@xemacs.org>
+ Many other people have contributed to XEmacs; this is partially
+enumerated in the `About XEmacs' option in the Help menu.
- * Hrvoje Niksic <hniksic@xemacs.org>
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.0.6, Next: Q1.1.1, Prev: Q1.0.5, Up: Introduction
- * Aki Vehtari <Aki.Vehtari@hut.fi>
+Q1.0.6: Who wrote the FAQ?
+--------------------------
+The current version of this FAQ was created by Ben Wing
+<ben@xemacs.org>.
-\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.2.3, Next: Q1.3.1, Prev: Q1.2.2, Up: Introduction
+ Previous contributors to the FAQ include
-Q1.2.3: Who contributed to the FAQ in the past?
------------------------------------------------
+ * SL Baur <steve@xemacs.org>
- This is only a partial list, as many names were lost in a hard disk
-crash some time ago.
+ * Hrvoje Niksic <hniksic@xemacs.org>
* Curtis.N.Bingham <binge@aloft.att.com>
* Aki Vehtari <Aki.Vehtari@hut.fi>
+1.1: Getting XEmacs
+===================
+
\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.3.1, Next: Q1.3.2, Prev: Q1.2.3, Up: Introduction
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.1.1, Next: Q1.1.2, Prev: Q1.0.6, Up: Introduction
-1.3: Internationalization
-=========================
+Q1.1.1: Where can I find XEmacs?
+--------------------------------
-Q1.3.1: What is the status of XEmacs v20?
------------------------------------------
+To download XEmacs, visit the XEmacs WWW page at
+`http://www.xemacs.org/Download/'. The most up-to-date list of
+distribution sites can always be found there. Try to pick a site that
+is networkologically close to you. If you know of other mirrors of the
+XEmacs archives, please send e-mail to `mailto:webmaster@xemacs.org'
+and we will list them here as well.
- XEmacs v20 is the version of XEmacs that includes MULE
-(Asian-language) support. XEmacs 20.0 was released in February 1997,
-followed by XEmacs 20.2 in May, XEmacs 20.3 in November and XEmacs 20.4
-in February 1998. When compiled without MULE support, 20.4 is
-approximately as stable as 19.16, and probably faster (due to
-additional optimization work.)
-
- As of XEmacs 20.3, version 20 is _the_ supported version of XEmacs.
-This means that 19.16 will optionally receive stability fixes (if any),
-but that all the real development work will be done on the v20 tree.
-
- The incompatible changes in XEmacs 20 include the additional
-byte-codes, new primitive data types (`character', `char-table', and
-`range-table'). This means that the character-integer equivalence
-inherent to all the previous Emacs and XEmacs releases no longer
-applies.
-
- However, to avoid breaking old code, many functions that should
-normally accept characters work with integers, and vice versa. For more
-information, see the Lisp reference manual. Here is a relevant excerpt,
-for your convenience.
-
- In XEmacs version 19, and in all versions of FSF GNU Emacs, a
- "character" in XEmacs Lisp is nothing more than an integer. This
- is yet another holdover from XEmacs Lisp's derivation from
- vintage-1980 Lisps; modern versions of Lisp consider this
- equivalence a bad idea, and have separate character types. In
- XEmacs version 20, the modern convention is followed, and
- characters are their own primitive types. (This change was
- necessary in order for MULE, i.e. Asian-language, support to be
- correctly implemented.)
-
- Even in XEmacs version 20, remnants of the equivalence between
- characters and integers still exist; this is termed the "char-int
- confoundance disease". In particular, many functions such as `eq',
- `equal', and `memq' have equivalent functions (`old-eq',
- `old-equal', `old-memq', etc.) that pretend like characters are
- integers are the same. Byte code compiled under any version 19
- Emacs will have all such functions mapped to their `old-'
- equivalents when the byte code is read into XEmacs 20. This is to
- preserve compatibility--Emacs 19 converts all constant characters
- to the equivalent integer during byte-compilation, and thus there
- is no other way to preserve byte-code compatibility even if the
- code has specifically been written with the distinction between
- characters and integers in mind.
-
- Every character has an equivalent integer, called the "character
- code". For example, the character `A' is represented as the
- integer 65, following the standard ASCII representation of
- characters. If XEmacs was not compiled with MULE support, the
- range of this integer will always be 0 to 255--eight bits, or one
- byte. (Integers outside this range are accepted but silently
- truncated; however, you should most decidedly _not_ rely on this,
- because it will not work under XEmacs with MULE support.) When
- MULE support is present, the range of character codes is much
- larger. (Currently, 19 bits are used.)
-
- FSF GNU Emacs uses kludgy character codes above 255 to represent
- keyboard input of ASCII characters in combination with certain
- modifiers. XEmacs does not use this (a more general mechanism is
- used that does not distinguish between ASCII keys and other keys),
- so you will never find character codes above 255 in a non-MULE
- XEmacs.
-
- Individual characters are not often used in programs. It is far
- more common to work with _strings_, which are sequences composed of
- characters.
+ The canonical distribution point is ftp.xemacs.org, available either
+through HTTP (`http://ftp.xemacs.org/') or anonymous FTP
+(`ftp://ftp.xemacs.org/pub/xemacs/').
\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.3.2, Next: Q1.3.3, Prev: Q1.3.1, Up: Introduction
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.1.2, Next: Q1.1.3, Prev: Q1.1.1, Up: Introduction
-Q1.3.2: What is the status of Asian-language support, aka MULE?
----------------------------------------------------------------
+Q1.1.2: Are binaries available?
+-------------------------------
- MULE support is now available for UNIX versions of XEmacs.
+MS Windows binaries are available at
+`http://www.xemacs.org/Download/win32/' for the native versions of 21.4
+and 21.1. Cygwin binaries are now available as part of the standard
+Cygwin installation process. XEmacs also comes pre-built as part of
+many Linux distributions, such as Red Hat and SuSE.
- If you would like to help, you may want to join the
-<xemacs-mule@xemacs.org> mailing list. Especially needed are people
-who speak/write languages other than English, who are willing to use
-XEmacs/MULE regularly, and have some experience with Elisp.
+ Otherwise, you will need to build XEmacs yourself or get your system
+administrator to do it. Generally, this is not a difficult process
+under Unix and Mac OS X, as XEmacs has been tested under all of the
+common Unix versions and under Mac OS X and comes with an extensive
+configure script that is able to automatically detect most aspects of
+the configuration of your particular system.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.1.3, Next: Q1.1.4, Prev: Q1.1.2, Up: Introduction
- *Note Q1.1.2::.
+Q1.1.3: How do I get the bleeding-edge sources?
+-----------------------------------------------
+
+If you are interested in developing XEmacs, or getting the absolutely
+most recent, up-to-the-moment, bleeding-edge source code, you can
+directly access the master CVS source tree (read-only, of course, until
+you ask for and are granted permission to directly modify portions of
+the source tree) at cvs.xemacs.org. Directions on how to access the
+source tree are located at
+`http://www.xemacs.org/Develop/cvsaccess.html'.
+
+ Nightly CVS snapshots are available at
+`http://www.dk.xemacs.org/Download/CVS-snapshots/'.
\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.3.3, Next: Q1.3.4, Prev: Q1.3.2, Up: Introduction
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.1.4, Next: Q1.2.1, Prev: Q1.1.3, Up: Introduction
-Q1.3.3: How do I type non-ASCII characters?
--------------------------------------------
+Q1.1.4: Where can I obtain a printed copy of the XEmacs User's Manual?
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Pre-printed manuals are not available. If you are familiar with TeX,
+you can generate your own manual from the XEmacs sources.
+
+ HTML and Postscript versions of XEmacs manuals are available from the
+XEmacs web site at `http://www.xemacs.org/Documentation/index.html'.
- See question 3.5.7 (*note Q3.5.7::) in part 3 of this FAQ.
+1.2: Versions for Different Operating Systems
+=============================================
\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.3.4, Next: Q1.3.5, Prev: Q1.3.3, Up: Introduction
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.2.1, Next: Q1.2.2, Prev: Q1.1.4, Up: Introduction
-Q1.3.4: Can XEmacs messages come out in a different language?
--------------------------------------------------------------
+Q1.2.1: Do I need X11 to run XEmacs?
+------------------------------------
- The message-catalog support has mostly been written but doesn't
-currently work. The first release of XEmacs 20 will _not_ support it.
-However, menubar localization _does_ work, even in 19.14. To enable
-it, add to your `Emacs' file entries like this:
+No. The name "XEmacs" is unfortunate in the sense that it is *not* an
+X Window System-only version of Emacs. XEmacs has full color support
+on a color-capable character terminal.
- Emacs*XlwMenu.resourceLabels: True
- Emacs*XlwMenu.file.labelString: Fichier
- Emacs*XlwMenu.openInOtherWindow.labelString: In anderem Fenster offnen
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.2.2, Next: Q1.2.3, Prev: Q1.2.1, Up: Introduction
- The name of the resource is derived from the non-localized entry by
-removing punctuation and capitalizing as above.
+Q1.2.2: What versions of Unix does XEmacs run on?
+-------------------------------------------------
+
+XEmacs is regularly tested on Linux, Solaris, SunOS, HP/UX, FreeBSD,
+OpenBSD, BSD/OS aka BSDI, Tru64 aka DEC/OSF, SCO5, and probably others.
+It should work on all versions of Unix created in the last 10 years or
+so, perhaps with a bit of work on more obscure platforms to correct
+bit-rot. It uses a sophisticated configuration system to auto-detect
+zillions of features that are implemented differently in different
+versions of Unix, so it will probably work on your vendor's version,
+possibly with a bit of tweaking, even if we've never heard of it.
+
+ For problems with particular machines and versions of Unix, see the
+`PROBLEMS' file.
+
+ Much effort has gone into making XEmacs work on as many different
+machines, configurations, and compilers as possible.
+
+ Much effort has gone into making XEmacs 64-bit clean.
+
+ Much effort has gone into removing system-specific code, and
+replacing such code with autodetection at configure time.
+
+ The XEmacs core should build "out of the box" on most Unix-like
+systems.
+
+ XEmacs 21.2 was tested and `make check' succeeded on these Unix
+configurations as of 2001-02-10:
+
+ alphaev56-dec-osf4.0e (both Compaq C and gcc)
+ i386-unknown-freebsd4.2
+ i386-unknown-netbsdelf1.5
+ i586-sco-sysv5uw7.0.1 (both SCO's cc and gcc)
+ i686-pc-linux-gnu
+ hppa2.0-hp-hpux10.20 (both HP's ANSI cc and gcc)
+ mips-sgi-irix6.5 (both MIPSpro cc and gcc)
+ rs6000-ibm-aix4.3.0.0 (both IBM's xlc and gcc)
+ sparc-sun-solaris2.6 (both Sun's Forte C and gcc)
+ sparc-sun-solaris2.7 (both Sun's Forte C and gcc)
+ sparc-sun-sunos4.1.4 (gcc)
+
+ Some systems have a dual mode 32-bit/64-bit compiler. On most of
+these, XEmacs requires the `--pdump' (in XEmacs 21.5, `--enable-pdump')
+configure option to build correctly with the 64-bit version of the
+compiler.
+
+ mips-sgi-irix6.5, CC="gcc -mabi=64"
+ mips-sgi-irix6.5, CC="cc -64"
+ rs6000-ibm-aix4.3.0.0, CC="cc -q64"
+
+ On most of these systems, XEmacs also builds with a C++ compiler,
+but not "out of the box". This feature is only for use by the
+maintainers.
+
+ XEmacs 21.2 is known _not_ to work on any machines with m680x0
+processors. Sorry, all you sun3 and Unix PC nostalgia buffs out there.
+
+ VMS has never been supported by XEmacs. In fact, all the old VMS
+code inherited from Emacs has been removed. Sorry, all you VMS fans
+out there.
\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.3.5, Next: Q1.3.6, Prev: Q1.3.4, Up: Introduction
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.2.3, Next: Q1.2.4, Prev: Q1.2.2, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.2.3: Is there a port of XEmacs to Microsoft Windows?
+-------------------------------------------------------
+
+Yes. Beginning with release 21.0, XEmacs has worked under MS Windows
+and is fully-featured and actively developed. A group of dedicated
+developers actively maintains and improves the Windows-specific
+portions of the code. Some of the core developers, in fact, use
+Windows as their only development environment, and some features, such
+as printing, actually work better on Windows than native Unix and Mac
+OS X. The mailing list at <xemacs-winnt@xemacs.org> is dedicated to
+that effort (please use the -request address to subscribe). (Despite
+its name, XEmacs actually works on all versions of Windows.)
+
+ The list name is misleading, as XEmacs supports and has been
+compiled on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows
+ME, Windows XP, and all newer versions of Windows. The MS
+Windows-specific code is based on Microsoft Win32 API, and will not
+work on MS Windows 3.x or on MS-DOS.
+
+ XEmacs also supports the Cygwin and MinGW development and runtime
+environments, where it also uses native Windows code for graphical
+features. In addition, under Cygwin it is possible to compile XEmacs
+to use an X server (and XFree86 is available as part of the standard
+Cygwin installation).
-Q1.3.5: Please explain the various input methods in MULE/XEmacs 20.0
---------------------------------------------------------------------
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.2.4, Next: Q1.2.5, Prev: Q1.2.3, Up: Introduction
- MORIOKA Tomohiko <morioka@jaist.ac.jp> writes:
+Q1.2.4: Can I build XEmacs on MS Windows with X support? Do I need to?
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------
- Original Mule supports the following input methods: Wnn4, Wnn6,
- Canna, SJ3 and XIM. Interfaces for Wnn and SJ3 uses the `egg' user
- interface. Interface for Canna does not use `egg'. I don't know
- about XIM. It is to support ATOK, of course, it may work for
- another servers.
-
- Wnn supports Japanese, Chinese and Korean. It is made by OMRON and
- Kyôto university. It is a powerful and complex system. Wnn4 is
- free and Wnn6 is not free.
-
- Canna supports only Japanese. It is made by NEC. It is a simple and
- powerful system. Canna uses only grammar (Wnn uses grammar and
- probability between words), so I think Wnn is cleverer than Canna,
- however Canna users made a good grammar and dictionary. So for
- standard modern Japanese, Canna seems cleverer than Wnn4. In
- addition, the UNIX version of Canna is free (now there is a
- Microsoft Windows version).
-
- SJ3 supports only Japanese. It is made by Sony. XIM supports was
- made to use ATOK (a major input method in personal computer
- world). XIM is the standard for accessing input methods bundled
- in Japanese versions of Solaris. (XEmacs 20 will support XIM
- input).
-
- Egg consists of following parts:
-
- 1. Input character Translation System (ITS) layer. It
- translates ASCII inputs to Kana/PinYin/Hangul characters.
-
- 2. Kana/PinYin/Hangul to Kanji transfer layer. It is interface
- layer for network Kana-Kanji server (Wnn and Sj3).
-
- These input methods are modal, namely there are mode, alphabet
- mode and Kana-Kanji transfer mode. However there are mode-less
- input methods for Egg and Canna. `Boiled-egg' is a mode-less
- input method running on Egg. For Canna, `canna.el' has a tiny
- boiled-egg like command, `(canna-boil)', and there are some
- boiled-egg like utilities. In addition, it was planned to make an
- abstraction for all transfer type input methods. However authors
- of input methods are busy, so maybe this plan is stopped. Perhaps
- after Mule merged GNU Emacs will be released, it will be continued.
+Yes, you can, but no you do not need to. In fact, we recommend that you
+use a native-GUI version unless you have a specific need for an X
+version.
\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.3.6, Next: Q1.3.7, Prev: Q1.3.5, Up: Introduction
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.2.5, Next: Q1.2.6, Prev: Q1.2.4, Up: Introduction
-Q1.3.6: How do I portably code for MULE/XEmacs 20?
---------------------------------------------------
+Q1.2.5: What are Cygwin and MinGW, and do I need them to run XEmacs?
+--------------------------------------------------------------------
- MORIOKA Tomohiko <morioka@jaist.ac.jp> writes:
+To answer the second part of the question: No, you, you don't need
+Cygwin or MinGW to build or to run XEmacs. But if you have them and
+want to use them, XEmacs supports these environments.
+
+ (One important reason to support Cygwin is that it lets the MS
+Windows developers test out their code in a Unix environment without
+actually having to have a Unix machine around. For this reason alone,
+Cygwin support is likely to remain supported for a long time in XEmacs.
+Same goes for the X support under Cygwin, for the same reasons. MinGW
+support, on the other hand, depends on volunteers to keep it up to date;
+but this is generally not hard.)
+
+ Cygwin is a set of tools providing Unix-like API on top of Win32.
+It makes it easy to port large Unix programs without significant
+changes to their source code. It is a development environment as well
+as a runtime environment.
+
+ When built with Cygwin, XEmacs supports all display types - TTY, X &
+Win32 GUI, and can be built with support for all three simultaneously.
+If you build with Win32 GUI support then the Cygwin version uses the
+majority of the Windows-specific code, which is mostly related to
+display. If you want to build with X support you need X libraries (and
+an X server to display XEmacs on); see *Note Q2.3.7::. TTY and Win32
+GUI require no additional libraries beyond what comes standard with
+Cygwin.
+
+ The advantages of the Cygwin version are that it integrates well with
+the Cygwin environment for existing Cygwin users; uses configure so
+building with different features is very easy; and actively supports X &
+TTY. Furthermore, the entire Cygwin environment and compiler are free,
+whereas Visual C++ costs money.
+
+ The disadvantage is that it requires the whole Cygwin environment,
+whereas the native port requires only a suitable MS Windows compiler.
+Also, it follows the Unix filesystem and process model very closely
+(some will undoubtedly view this as an advantage).
+
+ See `http://www.cygwin.com/' for more information on Cygwin.
+
+ MinGW is a collection of header files and import libraries that allow
+one to use GCC under the Cygwin environment to compile and produce
+exactly the same native Win32 programs that you can using Visual C++.
+Programs compiled with MinGW make use of the standard Microsoft runtime
+library `MSVCRT.DLL', present on all Windows systems, and look, feel,
+and act like a standard Visual-C-produced application. (The only
+difference is the compiler.) This means that, unlike a
+standardly-compiled Cygwin application, no extra runtime support (e.g.
+Cygwin's `cygwin1.dll') is required. This, along with the fact that
+GCC is free (and works in a nice Unix-y way in a nice Unix-y
+environment, for those die-hard Unix hackers out there), is the main
+advantage of MinGW. It is also potentially faster than Cygwin because
+it has less overhead when calling Windows, but you lose the POSIX
+emulation layer, which makes Unix programs harder to port. (But this is
+irrelevant for XEmacs since it's already ported to Win32.)
+
+ See `http://www.mingw.org/' for more information on MinGW.
- MULE and XEmacs are quite different. So the application
- implementor must write separate code for these mule variants.
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.2.6, Next: Q1.2.7, Prev: Q1.2.5, Up: Introduction
- MULE and the next version of Emacs are similar but the symbols are
- very different--requiring separate code as well.
+Q1.2.6: What are the differences between the various MS Windows emacsen?
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Namely we must support 3 kinds of mule variants and 4 or 5 or 6
- kinds of emacs variants... (;_;) I'm shocked, so I wrote a wrapper
- package called `emu' to provide a common interface.
+XEmacs, Win-Emacs, DOS Emacs, NT Emacs, this is all very confusing.
+Could you briefly explain the differences between them?
- I have the following suggestions about dealing with mule variants:
+ Here is a recount of various Emacs versions running on MS Windows:
- * `(featurep 'mule)' `t' on all mule variants
+ * XEmacs
- * `(boundp 'MULE)' is `t' on only MULE. Maybe the next version
- of Emacs will not have this symbol.
+ - Beginning with XEmacs 19.12, XEmacs' architecture was
+ redesigned in such a way to allow clean support of multiple
+ window systems. At this time the TTY support was added,
+ making X and TTY the first two "window systems" supported by
+ XEmacs. The 19.12 design is the basis for the current native
+ MS Windows code.
- * MULE has a variable `mule-version'. Perhaps the next version
- of Emacs will have this variable as well.
+ - Some time during 1997, David Hobley (soon joined by Marc
+ Paquette) imported some of the NT-specific portions of GNU
+ Emacs, making XEmacs with X support compile under Windows NT,
+ and creating the "X" port.
- Following is a sample to distinguish mule variants:
+ - Several months later, Jonathan Harris sent out initial
+ patches to use the Win32 API, thus creating the native port.
+ Since then, various people have contributed, including Kirill
+ M. Katsnelson (contributed support for menubars, subprocesses
+ and network, as well as loads of other code), Andy Piper
+ (ported XEmacs to Cygwin environment, contributed Windows
+ unexec, Windows-specific glyphs and toolbars code, and more),
+ Ben Wing (loads of improvements; primary MS Windows developer
+ since 2000), Jeff Sparkes (contributed scrollbars support)
+ and many others.
+
+ * NT Emacs
+
+ - NT Emacs was an early version of GNU Emacs 19 modified to
+ compile and run under MS Windows 95 and NT using the native
+ Win32 API. It was written by Geoff Voelker, and has long
+ since been incorporated into the mainline GNU Emacs
+ distribution.
+
+ * Win-Emacs
+
+ - Win-Emacs was a port of Lucid Emacs 19.6 to MS Windows using X
+ compatibility libraries. Win-Emacs was written by Ben Wing.
+ The MS Windows code never made it back to Lucid Emacs, and
+ its creator (Pearl Software) has long since gone out of
+ business.
+
+ * GNU Emacs for DOS
+
+ - GNU Emacs features support for MS-DOS and DJGPP (D.J.
+ Delorie's DOS port of GCC). Such an Emacs is heavily
+ underfeatured, because it does not support long file names,
+ lacks proper subprocesses support, and is far too big
+ compared with typical DOS editors.
+
+ * GNU Emacs compiled with Win32
+
+ - Starting with GNU Emacs 19.30, it has been possible to
+ compile GNU Emacs under MS Windows using the DJGPP compiler
+ and X libraries. The result is very similar to GNU Emacs
+ compiled under MS DOS, only it works somewhat better because
+ it runs in 32-bit mode, makes use of all the system memory,
+ supports long file names, etc.
- (if (featurep 'mule)
- (cond ((boundp 'MULE)
- ;; for original Mule
- )
- ((string-match "XEmacs" emacs-version)
- ;; for XEmacs with Mule
- )
- (t
- ;; for next version of Emacs
- ))
- ;; for old emacs variants
- )
\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.3.7, Next: Q1.4.1, Prev: Q1.3.6, Up: Introduction
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.2.7, Next: Q1.2.8, Prev: Q1.2.6, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.2.7: How does the port cope with differences in the Windows user interface?
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+The XEmacs (and Emacs in general) user interface is pretty different
+from what is expected of a typical MS Windows program. How does the MS
+Windows port cope with it?
+
+ As a general rule, we follow native MS Windows conventions as much as
+possible. 21.4 is a fairly complete Windows application, supporting
+native printing, system file dialog boxes, tool tips, etc. In cases
+where there's a clear UI conflict, we currently use normal Unix XEmacs
+behavior by default, but make sure the MS Windows "look and feel" (mark
+via shift-arrow, self-inserting deletes region, Alt selects menu items,
+etc.) is easily configurable (respectively: using the variable
+`shifted-motion-keys-select-region' in 21.4 and above [it's in fact the
+default in these versions], or the `pc-select' package; using the
+`pending-del' package; and setting the variable
+`menu-accelerator-enabled' to `menu-force' in 21.4 and above). In
+fact, if you use the sample `init.el' file as your init file, you will
+get all these behaviors automatically turned on.
+
+ In future versions, some of these features might be turned on by
+default in the MS Windows environment.
-Q1.3.7: How about Cyrillic Modes?
----------------------------------
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.2.8, Next: Q1.2.9, Prev: Q1.2.7, Up: Introduction
- Ilya Zakharevich <ilya@math.ohio-state.edu> writes:
+Q1.2.8: Is there a port of XEmacs to the Macintosh?
+---------------------------------------------------
- There is a cyrillic mode in the file `mysetup.zip' in
- `ftp://ftp.math.ohio-state.edu/pub/users/ilya/emacs/'. This is a
- modification to Valery Alexeev's <ava@math.jhu.ed> `russian.el'
- which can be obtained from
+Yes.
- `http://ftpsearch.ntnu.no/?query=russian.el.Z'.
+ XEmacs 21.5 (perhaps 21.4 also?) works on MacOS X, although it
+certainly will not feel very much like a Mac application as it has no
+Mac-specific code in it.
- Dima Barsky <d.barsky@ee.surrey.ac.uk> writes:
+ There is also a port of XEmacs 19.14 that works on all recent
+versions of MacOS, from 8.1 through MacOS X, by Pitts Jarvis
+<pjarvis@ispchannel.com> (recently deceased). It runs in an equivalent
+of TTY mode only (one single Macintosh window, 25 colors), but has a
+large number of Mac-specific additions. It's available at
+`http://homepage.mac.com/pjarvis/xemacs.html'.
- There is another cyrillic mode for both GNU Emacs and XEmacs by
- Dmitrii (Mitya) Manin <manin@camelot.mssm.edu> at
- `http://kulichki-lat.rambler.ru/centrolit/manin/cyr.el'.
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.2.9, Next: Q1.2.10, Prev: Q1.2.8, Up: Introduction
- Rebecca Ore <rebecca.ore@op.net> writes:
+Q1.2.9: Is there a port of XEmacs to MS-DOS?
+--------------------------------------------
- The fullest resource I found on Russian language use (in and out of
- XEmacs) is
- `http://sunsite.oit.unc.edu/sergei/Software/Software.html'
+No. We have never supported running on MS-DOS or Windows 3.1, and in
+fact have long since deleted all MS-DOS-related code. We're not
+particularly interested in patches for these platforms, as they would
+introduce huge amounts of code clutter due to the woefully
+underfeatured nature of these systems. (See GNU Emacs for a port to
+MS-DOS.)
\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.4.1, Next: Q1.4.2, Prev: Q1.3.7, Up: Introduction
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.2.10, Next: Q1.2.11, Prev: Q1.2.9, Up: Introduction
-1.4: Getting Started, Backing up & Recovery
-===========================================
+Q1.2.10: Is there a port of XEmacs to OS/2?
+-------------------------------------------
-Q1.4.1: What is a `.emacs' and is there a sample one?
------------------------------------------------------
+No, but Alexander Nikolaev <avn_1251@mail.ru> was at one point working
+on it.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.2.11, Next: Q1.2.12, Prev: Q1.2.10, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.2.11: Is there a port of XEmacs to NextStep?
+-----------------------------------------------
+
+Carl Edman, apparently no longer at <cedman@princeton.edu>, did the
+port of GNU Emacs to NeXTstep and expressed interest in doing the
+XEmacs port, but never went any farther.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.2.12, Next: Q1.3.1, Prev: Q1.2.11, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.2.12: Is there a port of XEmacs to VMS?
+------------------------------------------
- The `.emacs' file is used to customize XEmacs to your tastes. No
-two are alike, nor are they expected to be alike, but that's the point.
-The XEmacs distribution contains an excellent starter example in the etc
-directory called `sample.emacs'. Copy this file from there to your
-home directory and rename it `.emacs'. Then edit it to suit.
+VMS has never been supported by XEmacs. In fact, all the old VMS code
+inherited from GNU Emacs has been removed. Sorry, all you VMS fans out
+there.
- Starting with 19.14, you may bring the `sample.emacs' into an XEmacs
-buffer by selecting `Help->Sample .emacs' from the menubar. To
-determine the location of the `etc' directory type the command `C-h v
+1.3: Getting Started
+====================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.3.1, Next: Q1.3.2, Prev: Q1.2.12, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.3.1: What is an `init.el' or `.emacs' and is there a sample one?
+-------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+The `init.el' or `.emacs' file is used to customize XEmacs to your
+tastes. Starting in 21.4, the preferred location for the init file is
+`~/.xemacs/init.el'; in previous versions, it was `~/.emacs'. 21.4
+still accepts the old location, but the first time you run it, it will
+ask to migrate your file to the new location. If you answer yes, the
+file will be moved, and a "compatibility" `.emacs' file will be placed
+in the old location so that you can still run older versions of XEmacs,
+and versions of GNU Emacs, which expect the old location. The `.emacs'
+file present is just a stub that loads the real file in
+`~/.xemacs/init.el'.
+
+ No two init files are alike, nor are they expected to be alike, but
+that's the point. The XEmacs distribution contains an excellent starter
+example in the `etc/' directory called `sample.init.el' (starting in
+21.4) or `sample.emacs' in older versions. Copy this file from there
+to `~/.xemacs/init.el' (starting in 21.4) or `~/.emacs' in older
+versions, where `~' means your home directory, of course. Then edit it
+to suit.
+
+ You may bring the `sample.init.el' or `sample.emacs' file into an
+XEmacs buffer from the menubar. (The menu entry for it is always under
+the `Help' menu, but its location under that has changed in various
+versions. Recently, look under the `Samples' submenu.) To determine
+the location of the `etc/' directory type the command `C-h v
data-directory <RET>'.
\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.4.2, Next: Q1.4.3, Prev: Q1.4.1, Up: Introduction
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.3.2, Next: Q1.3.3, Prev: Q1.3.1, Up: Introduction
-Q1.4.2: Can I use the same `.emacs' with the other Emacs?
----------------------------------------------------------
+Q1.3.2: Where do I put my `init.el' file?
+-----------------------------------------
+
+`init.el' is the name of the init file starting with 21.4, and is
+located in the subdirectory `.xemacs/' of your home directory. In
+prior versions, the init file is called `.emacs' and is located in your
+home directory.
+
+ Your home directory under Windows is determined by the `HOME'
+environment variable. If this is not set, it defaults to `C:\'. To
+set this variable, modify `AUTOEXEC.BAT' under Windows 95/98, or select
+`Control Panel->System->Advanced->Environment Variables...' under
+Windows NT/2000.
- Yes. The sample `.emacs' included in the XEmacs distribution will
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.3.3, Next: Q1.3.4, Prev: Q1.3.2, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.3.3: Can I use the same `init.el' with the other Emacs?
+----------------------------------------------------------
+
+Yes. The sample `init.el' included in the XEmacs distribution will
show you how to handle different versions and flavors of Emacs.
\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.4.3, Next: Q1.4.4, Prev: Q1.4.2, Up: Introduction
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.3.4, Next: Q1.3.5, Prev: Q1.3.3, Up: Introduction
-Q1.4.3: Any good tutorials around?
-----------------------------------
+Q1.3.4: Any good XEmacs tutorials around?
+-----------------------------------------
- There's the XEmacs tutorial available from the Help Menu under
-`Basics->Tutorials', or by typing `C-h t'. To check whether it's
+There's the XEmacs tutorial available from the Help Menu under
+`Help->Tutorials', or by typing `C-h t'. To check whether it's
available in a non-english language, type `C-u C-h t TAB', type the
first letters of your preferred language, then type <RET>.
\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.4.4, Next: Q1.4.5, Prev: Q1.4.3, Up: Introduction
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.3.5, Next: Q1.3.6, Prev: Q1.3.4, Up: Introduction
-Q1.4.4: May I see an example of a useful XEmacs Lisp function?
+Q1.3.5: May I see an example of a useful XEmacs Lisp function?
--------------------------------------------------------------
- The following function does a little bit of everything useful. It
-does something with the prefix argument, it examines the text around the
+The following function does a little bit of everything useful. It does
+something with the prefix argument, it examines the text around the
cursor, and it's interactive so it may be bound to a key. It inserts
copies of the current word the cursor is sitting on at the cursor. If
you give it a prefix argument: `C-u 3 M-x double-word' then it will
the command with `M-x'.
\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.4.5, Next: Q1.4.6, Prev: Q1.4.4, Up: Introduction
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.3.6, Next: Q1.3.7, Prev: Q1.3.5, Up: Introduction
-Q1.4.5: And how do I bind it to a key?
+Q1.3.6: And how do I bind it to a key?
--------------------------------------
- To bind to a key do:
+To bind to a key do:
(global-set-key "\C-cd" 'double-word)
Or interactively, `M-x global-set-key' and follow the prompts.
\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.4.6, Prev: Q1.4.5, Up: Introduction
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.3.7, Next: Q1.3.8, Prev: Q1.3.6, Up: Introduction
-Q1.4.6: What's the difference between a macro and a function?
+Q1.3.7: What's the difference between a macro and a function?
-------------------------------------------------------------
- Quoting from the Lisp Reference (a.k.a "Lispref") Manual:
+Quoting from the Lisp Reference (a.k.a "Lispref") Manual:
"Macros" enable you to define new control constructs and other
language features. A macro is defined much like a function, but instead
other keys. Refer to manual for details.
\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Installation, Next: Customization, Prev: Introduction, Up: Top
-
-2 Installation and Trouble Shooting
-***********************************
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.3.8, Next: Q1.4.1, Prev: Q1.3.7, Up: Introduction
- This is part 2 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
-section is devoted to Installation, Maintenance and Trouble Shooting.
+Q1.3.8: What is `Custom'?
+-------------------------
-* Menu:
+`Custom' is a system for customizing XEmacs options.
-Installation:
-* Q2.0.1:: Running XEmacs without installing.
-* Q2.0.2:: XEmacs is too big.
-* Q2.0.3:: Compiling XEmacs with Netaudio.
-* Q2.0.4:: Problems with Linux and ncurses.
-* Q2.0.5:: Do I need X11 to run XEmacs?
-* Q2.0.6:: I'm having strange crashes. What do I do?
-* Q2.0.7:: Libraries in non-standard locations.
-* Q2.0.8:: can't resolve symbol _h_errno
-* Q2.0.9:: Where do I find external libraries?
-* Q2.0.10:: After I run configure I find a coredump, is something wrong?
-* Q2.0.11:: XEmacs can't resolve host names.
-* Q2.0.12:: Why can't I strip XEmacs?
-
-Trouble Shooting:
-* Q2.1.1:: XEmacs just crashed on me!
-* Q2.1.2:: Cryptic Minibuffer messages.
-* Q2.1.3:: Translation Table Syntax messages at Startup.
-* Q2.1.4:: Startup warnings about deducing proper fonts?
-* Q2.1.5:: XEmacs cannot connect to my X Terminal.
-* Q2.1.6:: XEmacs just locked up my Linux X server.
-* Q2.1.7:: HP Alt key as Meta.
-* Q2.1.8:: got (wrong-type-argument color-instance-p nil)!
-* Q2.1.9:: XEmacs causes my OpenWindows 3.0 server to crash.
-* Q2.1.10:: Warnings from incorrect key modifiers.
-* Q2.1.11:: Can't instantiate image error... in toolbar
-* Q2.1.12:: Regular Expression Problems on DEC OSF1.
-* Q2.1.13:: HP/UX 10.10 and `create_process' failure
-* Q2.1.14:: C-g doesn't work for me. Is it broken?
-* Q2.1.15:: How to debug an XEmacs problem with a debugger.
-* Q2.1.16:: XEmacs crashes in `strcat' on HP/UX 10.
-* Q2.1.17:: `Marker does not point anywhere'.
-* Q2.1.18:: [This question intentionally left blank]
-* Q2.1.19:: XEmacs does not follow the local timezone.
-* Q2.1.20:: `Symbol's function definition is void: hkey-help-show.'
-* Q2.1.21:: [This question intentionally left blank]
-* Q2.1.22:: XEmacs seems to take a really long time to do some things.
-* Q2.1.23:: Movemail on Linux does not work for XEmacs 19.15 and later.
-* Q2.1.24:: XEmacs won't start without network. (NEW)
+ You can access `Advanced (Customize)' from the `Options' menu or
+invoking one of customize commands by typing eg. `M-x customize', `M-x
+customize-face', `M-x customize-variable' or `M-x customize-apropos'.
-\1f
-File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.0.1, Next: Q2.0.2, Prev: Installation, Up: Installation
+ There is also new `browser' mode for Customize. Try it out with
+`M-x customize-browse'
-2.0: Installation
+1.4: Getting Help
=================
-Q2.0.1: Running XEmacs without installing
------------------------------------------
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.4.1, Next: Q1.4.2, Prev: Q1.3.8, Up: Introduction
- The `INSTALL' file says that up to 108 MB of space is needed
-temporarily during installation! How can I just try it out?
+Q1.4.1: Where can I get help?
+-----------------------------
- XEmacs will run in place without requiring installation and copying
-of the Lisp directories, and without having to specify a special
-build-time flag. It's the copying of the Lisp directories that
-requires so much space. XEmacs is largely written in Lisp.
+Probably the easiest way, if everything is installed, is to use Info, by
+pressing `C-h i', or looking for an Info item on the Help Menu. `M-x
+apropos' can be used to look for particular commands.
- A good method is to make a shell alias for xemacs:
+ For items not found in the manual, try reading this FAQ and reading
+the Usenet group comp.emacs.xemacs.
+
+ If you choose to post to a newsgroup, *please use
+comp.emacs.xemacs*. Please do not post XEmacs related questions to
+gnu.emacs.help.
+
+ If you cannot post or read Usenet news, there is a corresponding
+mailing list <xemacs-news@xemacs.org> which is available. It can be
+subscribed to via the Mailman Web interface or by sending mail to to
+<xemacs-news-request@xemacs.org> with `subscribe' in the body of the
+message. See also `http://www.xemacs.org/Lists/#xemacs-news'. To
+cancel a subscription, you may use the <xemacs-news-request@xemacs.org>
+address or the Web interface. Send a message with a subject of
+`unsubscribe' to be removed.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.4.2, Next: Q1.4.3, Prev: Q1.4.1, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.4.2: Which mailing lists are there?
+--------------------------------------
+
+For complete, up-to-date info on the lists and how to subscribe, see
+`http://www.xemacs.org/Lists/'.
+
+`comp.emacs.xemacs'
+ is a Usenet newsgroup for XEmacs users to discuss problems and
+ issues that arise for them. It's not generally an appropriate
+ place to ask about apparent bugs (use `xemacs-beta'), or future
+ plans (use `xemacs-design').
+
+`xemacs-announce'
+ is a read-only, low volume list for announcements concerning the
+ XEmacs project and new releases of the XEmacs software.
+
+`xemacs-beta'
+ is an open list for bug reports about beta versions of XEmacs.
+ This includes the bug reports themselves, by both users and
+ developers, as well as queries, follow-ups, and discussions
+ further determining their nature and status. This is the primary
+ channel for this kind of discussion; related code changes will
+ usually not be applied until they have been discussed here. When
+ such discussions touch on significant changes to the code (in
+ particular, structural changes), or on changes to API's or
+ external functionality, they should be moved to `xemacs-design'.
+ Requests and proposals for non-bug-related changes do not belong
+ on `xemacs-beta', and should be sent to `xemacs-design' instead.
+
+`xemacs-beta-ja'
+ is an open list for bug reports and design discussion related to
+ Mule features, including Japanese handling, in beta versions of
+ XEmacs. Japanese is the preferred language of discussion. For
+ most timely presentation to reviewers, please consider sending
+ appropriate discussion to `xemacs-mule' or `xemacs-design' in
+ English when convenient for the participants in discussion. When
+ possible, bug reports not related to Mule (including Japanese)
+ should be reported on `xemacs-beta' in English.
+
+`xemacs-buildreports'
+ is an open list for submission of build-reports on beta versions
+ of XEmacs. For information on what the build-reports should
+ contain, please see the `etc/BETA' file which is included in each
+ beta distribution.
+
+`xemacs-cvs'
+ is a read-only list for notices and information on what has been
+ committed to the XEmacs CVS trees, by whom, and for what.
+
+`xemacs-design'
+ is an open list for discussing the design of XEmacs. This
+ includes discussion about planned and ongoing changes to
+ functionality and API changes and additions as well as requests
+ for them. This is the primary channel for this kind of
+ discussion; related code changes will usually not be applied until
+ they have been discussed here. This does not include bug reports,
+ which go to `xemacs-beta'.
+
+`xemacs-mule'
+ is an open mailing list for discussion of International extensions
+ to XEmacs including Mule, XIM, I18n issues, etc, and is not
+ confined to developmental issues. This list is not restricted to
+ English, postings in all languages are welcome.
+
+`xemacs-news'
+ is an open list for discussion and bug reporting for XEmacs. This
+ mailing list is bi-directionally gatewayed with the USENET
+ newsgroup comp.emacs.xemacs.
+
+`xemacs-nt'
+ is a developers-only mailing list and is intended for people who
+ wish to work actively on the porting of XEmacs to Microsoft
+ Windows NT and Microsoft Windows '95.
+
+`xemacs-patches'
+ is an open, moderated list for submission of patches to the XEmacs
+ distribution and its packages. Anyone may subscribe or submit to
+ xemacs-patches, but all submissions are reviewed by the list
+ moderator before they are distributed to the list. Discussion is
+ not appropriate on xemacs-patches.
+
+`xemacs-users-ja'
+ is an open list for discussion and bug reporting for XEmacs.
+ Japanese is the preferred language of discussion. It is not gated
+ to comp.emacs.xemacs or the `xemacs' list. For fastest response,
+ bugs not specifically related to Japanese or Mule features should
+ be reported on `xemacs-beta' (in English).
+
+`xemacs-users-ru'
+ is an open list for discussion and bug reporting for XEmacs.
+ Russian is the preferred language of discussion. It is not gated
+ to comp.emacs.xemacs or the `xemacs' list. For fastest response,
+ bugs not specifically related to Russian or Mule features should
+ be reported on `xemacs-beta' (in English).
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.4.3, Next: Q1.4.4, Prev: Q1.4.2, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.4.3: Where are the mailing lists archived?
+---------------------------------------------
+
+The archives can be found at `http://list-archive.xemacs.org'
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.4.4, Next: Q1.4.5, Prev: Q1.4.3, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.4.4: How can I get two instances of info?
+--------------------------------------------
+
+Before 21.4, you can't. The `info' package does not provide for
+multiple info buffers. In 21.4, this should be fixed. #### how?
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.4.5, Next: Q1.5.1, Prev: Q1.4.4, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.4.5: How do I add new Info directories?
+------------------------------------------
+
+You use something like:
+
+ (setq Info-directory-list (cons
+ (expand-file-name "~/info")
+ Info-default-directory-list))
+
+ David Masterson <davidm@prism.kla.com> writes:
+
+ Emacs Info and XEmacs Info do many things differently. If you're
+ trying to support a number of versions of Emacs, here are some
+ notes to remember:
+
+ 1. Emacs Info scans `Info-directory-list' from right-to-left
+ while XEmacs Info reads it from left-to-right, so append to
+ the _correct_ end of the list.
+
+ 2. Use `Info-default-directory-list' to initialize
+ `Info-directory-list' _if_ it is available at startup, but not
+ all Emacsen define it.
+
+ 3. Emacs Info looks for a standard `dir' file in each of the
+ directories scanned from #1 and magically concatenates them
+ together.
+
+ 4. XEmacs Info looks for a `localdir' file (which consists of
+ just the menu entries from a `dir' file) in each of the
+ directories scanned from #1 (except the first), does a simple
+ concatenation of them, and magically attaches the resulting
+ list to the end of the menu in the `dir' file in the first
+ directory.
+
+ Another alternative is to convert the documentation to HTML with
+ texi2html and read it from a web browser like Lynx or W3.
+
+1.5: Contributing to XEmacs
+===========================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.5.1, Next: Q1.5.2, Prev: Q1.4.5, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.5.1: How do I submit changes to the FAQ?
+-------------------------------------------
+
+The FAQ is actively maintained and modified regularly. All links should
+be up to date. Unfortunately, some of the information is out of date -
+a situation which the FAQ maintainer is working on. All submissions are
+welcome, please e-mail submissions to XEmacs FAQ maintainers
+<faq@xemacs.org>.
+
+ Please make sure that `XEmacs FAQ' appears on the Subject: line. If
+you think you have a better way of answering a question, or think a
+question should be included, we'd like to hear about it. Questions and
+answers included into the FAQ will be edited for spelling and grammar
+and will be attributed. Answers appearing without attribution are
+either from versions of the FAQ dated before May 1996 or are from
+previous FAQ maintainers. Answers quoted from Usenet news articles will
+always be attributed, regardless of the author.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.5.2, Next: Q1.5.3, Prev: Q1.5.1, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.5.2: How do I become a beta tester?
+--------------------------------------
+
+Send an email message to <xemacs-beta-request@xemacs.org> with the line
+`subscribe' in the body of the message.
+
+ Be prepared to get your hands dirty, as beta testers are expected to
+identify problems as best they can.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.5.3, Next: Q1.5.4, Prev: Q1.5.2, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.5.3: How do I contribute to XEmacs itself?
+---------------------------------------------
+
+It depends on the knowledge and time you possess. If you are able, by
+all means become a beta tester (*note Q1.5.2::). If you are a
+programmer, try to build XEmacs and see if you can improve it.
+
+ Otherwise, you can still help by using XEmacs as your everyday editor
+(for pre-built binary versions, *note Q1.1.2::) and reporting bugs you
+find to the mailing list.
+
+ Another area where we need help is the documentation: We need good
+documentation for building XEmacs and for using it. This FAQ is a
+small step in that direction.
+
+ Ben Wing <ben@xemacs.org> writes:
+
+ BTW if you have a wish list of things that you want added, you
+ have to speak up about it! More specifically, you can do the
+ following if you want a feature added (in increasing order of
+ usefulness):
+
+ * Make a posting about a feature you want added.
+
+ * Become a beta tester and make more postings about those same
+ features.
+
+ * Convince us that you're going to use the features in some
+ cool and useful way.
+
+ * Come up with a clear and well-thought-out API concerning the
+ features.
+
+ * Write the code to implement a feature and send us a patch.
+
+ (not that we're necessarily requiring you to write the code, but
+ we can always hope :)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.5.4, Next: Q1.5.5, Prev: Q1.5.3, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.5.4: How do I get started developing XEmacs?
+-----------------------------------------------
+
+First, get yourself set up under CVS so that you can access the CVS
+repositories containing the XEmacs sources and the XEmacs packages.
+
+ Next, set up your layout. This is important, as a good layout will
+facilitate getting things done efficiently, while a bad layout will
+could lead to disaster, as you can't figure out which code is the most
+recent, which can be thrown away, etc. We suggest the following
+layout: (feel free to make changes)
+
+ * Everything goes under `/src/xemacs' (use a different directory if
+ you want). From now, instead of saying `/src/xemacs', we use
+ `<xsrc-top>', to make it easier in case someone picked a different
+ directory.
+
+ * Package source is in `<xsrc-top>/package-src'.
+
+ * Installed packages go under `<xsrc-top>/xemacs-packages', and
+ `<xsrc-top>/mule-packages'.
+
+ * A "workspace" is a complete copy of the sources, in which you do
+ work of a particular kind. Workspaces can be differentiated by
+ which branch of the source tree they extend off of - usually
+ either the stable or experimental, unless other branches have been
+ created (for example, Ben created a branch for his Mule work
+ because (1) the project was long-term and involved an enormous
+ number of changes, (2) people wanted to be able to look at what
+ his work in progress, and (3) he wanted to be able to check things
+ in and in general use source-code control, since it was a
+ long-term project). Workspaces are also differentiated in what
+ their purpose is - general working workspace, workspace for
+ particular projects, workspace keeping the latest copy of the code
+ in one of the branches without mods, etc.
+
+ * Various workspaces are subdirectories under `<xsrc-top>', e.g.:
+
+ * `<xsrc-top>/working' (the workspace you're actively working
+ on, periodically synched up with the latest trunk)
+
+ * `<xsrc-top>/stable' (for making changes to the stable version
+ of XEmacs, which sits on a branch)
+
+ * `<xsrc-top>/unsigned-removal' (a workspace for a specific,
+ difficult task that's going to affect lots of source and take
+ a long time, and so best done in its own workspace without
+ the interference of other work you're doing. Also, you can
+ commit just this one large change, separate from all the
+ other changes).
+
+ * `<xsrc-top>/latest' (a copy of the latest sources on the
+ trunk, i.e. the experimental version of XEmacs, with no
+ patches in it; either update it periodically, by hand, or set
+ up a cron job to do it automatically). Set it up so it can
+ be built, and build it so you have a working XEmacs.
+ (Building it might also go into the cron job.)
+
+ This workspace serves a number of purposes:
+ 1. You always have a recent version of XEmacs you can
+ compare against when something you're working on breaks.
+ It's true that you can do this with cvs diff, but when
+ you need to do some serious investigation, this method
+ just fails.
+
+ 2. You (almost) always have a working, up-to-date
+ executable that can be used when your executable is
+ crashing and you need to keep developing it, or when you
+ need an `xemacs' to build packages, etc.
+
+ 3. When creating new workspaces, you can just copy the
+ `latest' workspace using GNU `cp -a'. You have all the
+ .elc's built, everything else probably configured, any
+ spare files in place (e.g. some annoying xpm.dll under
+ Windows, etc.).
+
+ * `<xsrc-top>/latest-stable/' (equivalent to
+ `<xsrc-top>/latest/', but for the Stable branch of XEmacs,
+ rather than the Experimental branch of XEmacs). This may or
+ may not be necessary depending on how much development you do
+ of the stable branch.
+
+ * `<xsrc-top>/xemacsweb' is a workspace for working on the XEmacs
+ web site.
+
+ * `<xsrc-top>/in-patches' for patches received from email and saved
+ to files.
+
+ * `<xsrc-top>/out-patches' for locally-generated patches to be sent
+ to <xemacs-patches@xemacs.org>. Less useful now that the patcher
+ util has been developed.
+
+ * `<xsrc-top>/build', for build trees when compiling and testing
+ XEmacs with various configuration options turned off and on. The
+ scripts in xemacs-builds/ben (see below) can be used to automate
+ building XEmacs workspaces with many different configuration
+ options and automatically filtering out the normal output so that
+ you see only the abnormal output.
+
+ * `<xsrc-top>/xemacs-builds', for the xemacs-builds module, which
+ you need to check out separately in CVS. This contains scripts
+ used for building XEmacs, automating and simplifying using CVS,
+ etc. Under various people's directories are their own build and
+ other scripts. The currently most-maintained scripts are under
+ ben/, where there are easily configurable scripts that can be used
+ to easily build any workspace (esp. if you've more or less
+ followed the layout presented above) unattended, with one or more
+ configuration states (there's a pre-determined list of the most
+ useful, but it's easy to change). The output is filtered and
+ split up in various ways so that you can identify which output
+ came from where, and you can see the output either full or with
+ all "normal" output except occasional status messages filtered so
+ that you only see the abnormal ones.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.5.5, Next: Q1.6.1, Prev: Q1.5.4, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.5.5: What's the basic layout of the code?
+--------------------------------------------
+
+The file `configure' is a shell script to acclimate XEmacs to the
+oddities of your processor and operating system. It will create a file
+named `Makefile' (a script for the `make' program), which helps
+automate the process of building and installing emacs. See INSTALL for
+more detailed information.
+
+ The file `configure.in' is the input used by the autoconf program to
+construct the `configure' script. Since XEmacs has configuration
+requirements that autoconf can't meet, `configure.in' uses an unholy
+marriage of custom-baked configuration code and autoconf macros; it may
+be wise to avoid rebuilding `configure' from `configure.in' when
+possible.
+
+ The file `Makefile.in' is a template used by `configure' to create
+`Makefile'.
+
+ There are several subdirectories:
+
+ 1. `src' holds the C code for XEmacs (the XEmacs Lisp interpreter and
+ its primitives, the redisplay code, and some basic editing
+ functions).
+
+ 2. `lisp' holds the XEmacs Lisp code for XEmacs (most everything
+ else).
+
+ 3. `lib-src' holds the source code for some utility programs for use
+ by or with XEmacs, like movemail and etags.
+
+ 4. `etc' holds miscellaneous architecture-independent data files
+ XEmacs uses, like the tutorial text. The contents of the `lisp',
+ `info' and `man' subdirectories are architecture-independent too.
+
+ 5. `lwlib' holds the C code for the X toolkit objects used by XEmacs.
+
+ 6. `info' holds the Info documentation tree for XEmacs.
+
+ 7. `man' holds the source code for the XEmacs online documentation.
+
+ 8. `nt' holds files used compiling XEmacs under Microsoft Windows.
+
+1.6: Politics (XEmacs vs. GNU Emacs)
+====================================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.6.1, Next: Q1.6.2, Prev: Q1.5.5, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.6.1: What is GNU Emacs?
+--------------------------
+
+GNU Emacs and XEmacs are related open-source text editors. Both derive
+from GNU Emacs version 18; the split between the two happened in 1991
+(for comparison, the oldest versions of GNU Emacs date from 1984). For
+information on GNU Emacs, see
+`http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/emacs.html'.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.6.2, Next: Q1.6.3, Prev: Q1.6.1, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.6.2: How does XEmacs differ from GNU Emacs?
+----------------------------------------------
+
+For a detailed description of the differences between GNU Emacs and
+XEmacs and a detailed history of XEmacs, check out the
+ NEWS file (http://www.xemacs.org/About/XEmacsVsGNUemacs.html)
+
+*User-Visible Editing Features*
+ XEmacs in general tries hard to conform to exist user-interface
+ standards, and to work "out-of-the-box" without the need for
+ obscure customization changes. GNU Emacs, particularly version
+ 21, has gotten better about this (in many cases by copying the
+ XEmacs behavior!), but still has some weirdnesses. For example,
+ the standard method of selecting text using the Shift key works
+ out-of-the-box in XEmacs.
+
+ XEmacs has a built-in toolbar. Four toolbars can actually be
+ configured simultaneously: top, bottom, left, and right toolbars.
+
+ XEmacs has vertical and horizontal scrollbars. Unlike in GNU Emacs
+ 19 (which provides a primitive form of vertical scrollbar), these
+ are true toolkit scrollbars. A look-alike Motif scrollbar is
+ provided for those who don't have Motif. (Even for those who do,
+ the look-alike may be preferable as it is faster.)
+
+ XEmacs has buffer tabs along the top of the frame (although the
+ position can be changed) that make it very easy to switch buffers.
+
+ The menubar under XEmacs is better-designed, with more thought put
+ into it.
+
+ XEmacs can ask questions using popup dialog boxes. Any command
+ executed from a menu will ask yes/no questions with dialog boxes,
+ while commands executed via the keyboard will use the minibuffer.
+
+ XEmacs under MS Windows provides uses the standard file-dialog box
+ for opening and saving files. Standard menu-accelerator behavior
+ can easily be enabled using the Options menu, and integrates well
+ into the existing keymap.
+
+ XEmacs has (still experimental) support for widgets of various
+ sorts - buttons, text boxes, sliders, progress bars, etc. A
+ progress bar is used in font lock to show the progress.
+
+ Experimental support for drag-and-drop protocols is provided from
+ XEmacs 21.
+
+*General Platform Support*
+ If you're running on a machine with audio hardware, you can specify
+ sound files for XEmacs to play instead of the default X beep. See
+ the documentation of the function load-sound-file and the variable
+ sound-alist. XEmacs also supports the network sound protocols NAS
+ and EsounD.
+
+ XEmacs 21 supports database protocols with LISP bindings, currently
+ including Berkeley DB, LDAP, and PostgreSQL (21.2 only).
+
+ XEmacs 20 and 21 support the Canna, Wnn, and SJ3 Japanese input
+ method servers directly, as well as through the X Input Method
+ (XIM) protocol. GNU Emacs 20 supports only the XIM protocol. Both
+ Emacsen support the Quail family of input methods (implemented in
+ LISP) for many languages.
+
+ XEmacs provides support for ToolTalk on systems that have it.
+
+*Packaged LISP Libraries*
+ Many more packages are provided standard with XEmacs than with GNU
+ Emacs 19 or 20.
+
+ XEmacs 21 supports an integrated package management system which
+ uses EFS to download, then automatically install prebuilt LISP
+ libraries. This allows XEmacs users much more straightforward
+ access to the "latest and greatest" version of any given library.
+
+ We are working on a standard method for enabling, disabling and
+ otherwise controlling packages, which should make them very easy
+ to use.
+
+*LISP Programming*
+ From XEmacs 20 on, characters are a separate type. Characters can
+ be converted to integers (and many integers can be converted to
+ characters), but characters are not integers. GNU Emacs 19, XEmacs
+ 19, Mule 2.3 (an extensive patch to GNU Emacs 18.55 and 19.x), and
+ GNU Emacs 20 (incorporating Mule 3 and later Mule 4) represent
+ them as integers.
+
+ From XEmacs 20 on, the buffer is treated as an array of
+ characters, and the representation of buffer text is not exposed
+ to LISP. The GNU Emacs 20 functions like buffer-as-multibyte are
+ not supported.
+
+ In XEmacs, events are first-class objects. GNU Emacs 19 represents
+ them as integers, which obscures the differences between a key
+ gesture and the ancient ASCII code used to represent a particular
+ overlapping subset of them.
+
+ In XEmacs, keymaps are first-class opaque objects. GNU Emacs 19
+ represents them as complicated combinations of association lists
+ and vectors. If you use the advertised functional interface to
+ manipulation of keymaps, the same code will work in XEmacs, GNU
+ Emacs 18, and GNU Emacs 19; if your code depends on the underlying
+ implementation of keymaps, it will not.
+
+ XEmacs uses "extents" to represent all non-textual aspects of
+ buffers; GNU Emacs 19 uses two distinct objects, "text properties"
+ and "overlays", which divide up the functionality between them.
+ Extents are a superset of the union of the functionality of the
+ two GNU Emacs data types. The full GNU Emacs 19 interface to text
+ properties and overlays is supported in XEmacs (with extents being
+ the underlying representation).
+
+ Extents can be made to be copied into strings, and then restored,
+ by kill and yank. Thus, one can specify this behavior on either
+ "extents" or "text properties", whereas in GNU Emacs 19 text
+ properties always have this behavior and overlays never do.
+
+*Window System Programming Interface*
+ XEmacs uses the MIT "Xt" toolkit instead of raw Xlib calls, which
+ makes it be a more well-behaved X citizen (and also improves
+ portability). A result of this is that it is possible to include
+ other Xt "Widgets" in the XEmacs window. Also, XEmacs understands
+ the standard Xt command-line arguments.
+
+ XEmacs supports Motif applications, generic Xt (e.g. Athena)
+ applications, and raw Xlib applications. An XEmacs variant which
+ supports GTK+ is available (integration as an option in the XEmacs
+ mainline is planned for XEmacs 22), although code to take
+ advantage of the support is as yet scarce.
+
+ An XEmacs frame can be placed within an "external client widget"
+ managed by another application. This allows an application to use
+ an XEmacs frame as its text pane rather than the standard Text
+ widget that is provided with Motif or Athena.
+
+*Community Participation*
+ Joining the XEmacs development team is simple. Mail to XEmacs
+ Developers <xemacs-beta@xemacs.org>, and you're in! (If you want
+ to be, of course. You're also welcome to just post
+ development-related questions and bug reports.) The GNU Emacs
+ development team and internal mailing lists are still by invitation
+ only.
+
+ The "bleeding edge" of mainline XEmacs development is available by
+ anonymous CVS as are some subsidiary branches (check out the
+ xemacs-gtk module for the latest in GUI features!)
+
+ Development and maintenance of Lisp libraries is separated from
+ the core editor development at a fairly low level. This provides
+ better modularization and a better division of responsibility
+ between external library maintainers and the XEmacs core
+ development team. Even for packages the size of Gnus, XEmacs users
+ normally have access to a pre-built version within a few weeks of
+ a major release, and minor updates often within days.
+
+ CVS commit authority is broadly dispersed. Recognized maintainers
+ of LISP libraries who are willing to maintain XEmacs packaged
+ versions automatically qualify for CVS accounts for their packages.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.6.3, Next: Q1.6.4, Prev: Q1.6.2, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.6.3: How much does XEmacs differ?
+------------------------------------
+
+RMS has asserted at times that XEmacs is merely a "patch" on top of GNU
+Emacs (*note Q1.6.4::). In fact, probably not more than 5% of the
+code, if that, remains unchanged, and nearly 14 years of work has gone
+into XEmacs at this point. (GNU Emacs itself is only than 20 years old,
+and thus XEmacs has existed as a separate product for over 2/3 of the
+lifespan of GNU Emacs.) As a point of comparison, XEmacs 21.5 has
+perhaps 65,000 more lines of C code than GNU Emacs 21.2.
+
+ However, the XEmacs developers strive to keep their code compatible
+with GNU Emacs, especially on the Lisp level. Much effort goes into
+"synching" the XEmacs Elisp code with recent GNU Emacs releases so as to
+benefit from GNU Emacs development work. (In contrast, almost no code
+from XEmacs has made it into GNU Emacs, and in fact the GNU Emacs
+developers are instructed by RMS not to even look at XEmacs source code!
+This stems from self-imposed licensing restrictions on the part of GNU
+Emacs - and almost certainly out of hostility, as well.)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.6.4, Next: Q1.6.5, Prev: Q1.6.3, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.6.4: Is XEmacs "GNU"?
+------------------------
+
+RMS insists on the term "GNU XEmacs" and maintains that
+
+ XEmacs is GNU software because it's a modified version of a GNU
+ program. And it is GNU software because the FSF is the copyright
+ holder for most of it, and therefore the legal responsibility for
+ protecting its free status falls on us whether we want it or not.
+ This is why the term "GNU XEmacs" is legitimate.
+
+ In fact, FSF is _not_ the copyright holder for most of the code, as
+very little unmodified FSF code remains (*note Q1.6.3::).
+
+ Furthermore, RMS's assertion that XEmacs is "GNU" seems rather
+bizarre to the XEmacs developers given RMS's hostility and general lack
+of interest in cooperation. "GNU" software in general is part of the
+GNU Project, is distributed by it on their FTP site, and receives
+support (or at least cooperation), as well as implicit endorsement,
+from it. The GNU Project, however, has never supported XEmacs and never
+distributed XEmacs, and RMS's hostility is the farthest thing possible
+from an endorsement. In fact, the GNU Project distributes a number of
+non-GNU software projects on the FSF web site, but again XEmacs is not
+one of them.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.6.5, Next: Q1.6.6, Prev: Q1.6.4, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.6.5: What is the correct way to refer to XEmacs and GNU Emacs?
+-----------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Unfortunately even the naming of these two applications has become
+politicized. Much of this stems from RMS, who has a history of
+politicizing similar issues. (Compare the controversy over "Lignux" and
+"GNU/Linux".) We would prefer that the terms "XEmacs" and "GNU Emacs"
+be used, which are neutral and acceptable to most people. RMS,
+however, is not willing to accept these terms. He insists that, if his
+product is called "GNU Emacs", then ours must be called "GNU XEmacs".
+(For our opinion of this term, *Note Q1.6.4::.) On the other hand, if
+our product is to be called "XEmacs", as we prefer, then his product
+must simply be called "Emacs". The intent of this seems clear: RMS
+wants to make sure the names reflect his view that his version is the
+"real" Emacs and ours is merely a derivative, second-class product
+(*note Q1.6.3::).
+
+ The XEmacs developers hope that you will use the neutral terms
+"XEmacs" and "GNU Emacs" for these two specific products. "Emacs", on
+the other hand, is a generic term for a class of programmable text
+editors with a similar look-and-feel, and usually a Lisp-based
+extension language. These trace themselves back to early editors such
+as EINE, ZWEI, ZMACS and Multics Emacs. *Note A History of Emacs:
+(internals)A History of Emacs.
+
+ We also call upon RMS, in the spirit of furthering cooperation, to
+stop politicizing this issue and use the neutral terms "XEmacs" and
+"GNU Emacs". We have already acceded to RMS' wishes in this respect,
+and we expect him to do the same. (In the past, the XEmacs developers
+often used the terms "FSF Emacs" or "FSFmacs" or "RMSmacs" in reference
+to GNU Emacs; these terms were apparently modeled after RMS' own usage
+of "Gosmacs" and "Gosling Emacs" in reference to Unipress Emacs,
+produced by James Gosling. RMS, however, considers such terms to be
+insulting, so we refrain from using them as much as possible in
+preference to GNU Emacs.)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.6.6, Next: Q1.7.1, Prev: Q1.6.5, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.6.6: Why haven't XEmacs and GNU Emacs merged?
+------------------------------------------------
+
+There are currently irreconcilable differences in the views about
+technical, programming, design, organizational and legal matters
+between Richard Stallman (RMS), the author and leader of the GNU Emacs
+project, and the XEmacs development team which provide little hope for
+a merge to take place in the short-term future. There have been
+repeated attempts at merging by all of the major XEmacs developers,
+starting from the early days of Lucid Emacs (in 1991), but they have
+all failed. RMS has very strong views about how GNU Emacs should be
+structured and how his project should be run, and during the repeated
+merge efforts has never demonstrated any realistic interest in
+sufficiently compromising or ceding control to allow a middle ground to
+be found. The basic problem seems to be the very different goals of
+RMS and the XEmacs project. The primary goals of the XEmacs project
+are technical and organizational - we want to create the best editor
+possible, and to make it as easy as possible for people around the
+world to contribute. The primary goals of RMS, on the other hand, are
+political, and GNU Emacs, and any potential merge efforts with XEmacs,
+are strictly subservient to these goals. In fact, in many ways RMS
+sees GNU Emacs as the "poster child" of his aims, the one program in
+the GNU project that above all others must set an example to the world.
+(This has to do with the fact that GNU Emacs was the first program in
+the GNU project, and the only one that he is still personally involved
+with on a day-to-day basis.) Given his goals, his position is
+completely reasonable - but unfortunately, makes any merge impossible.
+
+ From the XEmacs perspective, the most intractable issues appear to be
+legal and organizational, specifically:
+
+ * RMS requires "legal papers" to be signed for all contributions of
+ code to GNU Emacs over 10 lines or so, transferring the copyright
+ and all legal rights to the code to the Free Software Foundation.
+ XEmacs does not and has never required this, since it has the
+ practical effect of discouraging individual and in particular
+ corporate contributions - corporations will almost never sign away
+ their legal rights to code since it makes it impossible to reuse
+ the code in any product that whose license is not compatible with
+ the GNU General Public License. Since RMS has shown no
+ inclination to compromise on this issue, a merge would require
+ that most of the existing XEmacs code would need to be thrown away
+ and rewritten - something the XEmacs developers are understandably
+ reluctant to do.
+
+ * A repeated stumbling block in the merge talks has been the issue of
+ organizational control over the resulting product. RMS has made it
+ clear that he intends to have final say over design issues in a
+ merged Emacs. Unfortunately, RMS and the XEmacs developers have
+ repeatedly clashed over design decisions, and RMS' insistence on
+ getting his way in such disagreements was the very reason for the
+ split in the first place. This same issue has come up again and
+ again in merge talks and we have never been able to come to a
+ satisfactory resolution. To the extent that RMS is willing to
+ compromise at all, it appears to be of a purely political rather
+ than technical nature - "If we support this feature of yours, we
+ also get to support this other feature of mine." The XEmacs
+ developers cannot see how such a process would lead to anything
+ but a mess of incompatible things hodgepodged together.
+
+ * Because of the years of separate development, distinct and
+ incompatible interfaces have developed and merging would be
+ extremely difficult even with the above non-technical issues
+ resolved. The problem has been exacerbated by the issue of legal
+ papers - because XEmacs code is not "kosher" from RMS'
+ perspective, he discourages developers from even looking at it out
+ of legal concerns. Although it is still possible to read the
+ XEmacs documentation and run the program, the practical effect of
+ this prohibition has been to strongly discourage code-sharing and
+ cooperative development - although a great deal of GNU Emacs code
+ has been incorporated into XEmacs, practically none has gone the
+ other direction.
+
+ If you have a comment to add regarding the merge, it is a good idea
+to avoid posting to the newsgroups, because of the very heated flamewars
+that often result. Mail your questions to <xemacs-beta@xemacs.org> and
+<emacs-devel@gnu.org>.
+
+1.7: External Packages
+======================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.7.1, Next: Q1.7.2, Prev: Q1.6.6, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.7.1: What is the package system?
+-----------------------------------
+
+In order to reduce the size and increase the maintainability of XEmacs,
+the majority of the Elisp packages that came with previous releases
+have been unbundled. They have been replaced by the package system.
+Each elisp add-on (or groups of them when they are small) now comes in
+its own tarball that contains a small search hierarchy.
+
+ You select just the ones you need. Install them by untarring them
+into the right place. On startup XEmacs will find them, set up the load
+path correctly, install autoloads, etc, etc.
+
+ *Note Q2.1.1::, for more info on how to download and install the
+packages.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.7.2, Next: Q1.7.3, Prev: Q1.7.1, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.7.2: Which external packages are there?
+------------------------------------------
+
+Normal Packages
+---------------
+
+A very broad collection of elisp packages.
+
+Sun
+ Support for Sparcworks.
+
+ada
+ Ada language support.
+
+apel
+ A Portable Emacs Library. Used by XEmacs MIME support.
+
+auctex
+ Basic TeX/LaTeX support.
+
+bbdb
+ The Big Brother Data Base: a rolodex-like database program.
+
+build
+ Build XEmacs from within (UNIX, Windows).
+
+c-support
+ Basic single-file add-ons for editing C code.
+
+calc
+ Emacs calculator.
+
+calendar
+ Calendar and diary support.
+
+cc-mode
+ C, C++, Objective-C, Java, CORBA IDL, Pike and AWK language
+ support.
+
+clearcase
+ New Clearcase Version Control for XEmacs (UNIX, Windows).
+
+clearcase
+ Support for the Clearcase version control system.
+
+cookie
+ "Fortune cookie"-style messages. Includes Spook (suspicious
+ phrases) and Yow (Zippy quotes).
+
+crisp
+ Crisp/Brief emulation.
+
+debug
+ GUD, gdb, dbx debugging support.
+
+dictionary
+ Interface to RFC2229 dictionary servers.
+
+dired
+ The DIRectory EDitor is for manipulating, and running commands on
+ files in a directory.
+
+docbookide
+ DocBook editing support.
+
+ecb
+ Emacs source code browser.
+
+ecrypto
+ Crypto functionality in Emacs Lisp.
+
+edebug
+ An Emacs Lisp debugger.
+
+ediff
+ Interface over GNU patch.
+
+edit-utils
+ Miscellaneous editor extensions, you probably need this.
+
+edt
+ DEC EDIT/EDT emulation.
+
+efs
+ Treat files on remote systems the same as local files.
+
+eieio
+ Enhanced Implementation of Emacs Interpreted Objects.
+
+elib
+ Portable Emacs Lisp utilities library.
+
+emerge
+ Another interface over GNU patch.
+
+erc
+ ERC is an Emacs InternetRelayChat client.
+
+escreen
+ Multiple editing sessions withing a single frame (like screen).
+
+eshell
+ Command shell implemented entirely in Emacs Lisp.
+
+ess
+ ESS: Emacs Speaks Statistics.
+
+eterm
+ Terminal emulation.
+
+eudc
+ Emacs Unified Directory Client (LDAP, PH).
+
+footnote
+ Footnoting in mail message editing modes.
+
+forms
+ Forms editing support (obsolete, use Widget instead).
+
+fortran-modes
+ Fortran support.
+
+fortran-modes
+ Fortran language support.
+
+frame-icon
+ Set up mode-specific icons for each frame under XEmacs.
+
+fsf-compat
+ GNU Emacs compatibility files.
+
+games
+ Tetris, Sokoban, and Snake.
+
+general-docs
+ General documentation. Presently, empty.
+
+gnats
+ XEmacs bug reports.
+
+gnus
+ The Gnus Newsreader and Mailreader.
+
+haskell-mode
+ Haskell editing support.
+
+hm-html-menus
+ HTML editing.
+
+hyperbole
+ Hyperbole: The Everyday Info Manager.
+
+ibuffer
+ Advanced replacement for buffer-menu.
+
+idlwave
+ Editing and Shell mode for the Interactive Data Language.
+
+igrep
+ Enhanced front-end for Grep.
+
+ilisp
+ Front-end for interacting with Inferior Lisp (external lisps).
+
+ispell
+ Spell-checking with GNU ispell.
+
+jde
+ Integrated Development Environment for Java.
+
+liece
+ IRC (Internet Relay Chat) client for Emacs. Note, this package is
+ deprecated and will be removed, use riece instead.
+
+mail-lib
+ Fundamental lisp files for providing email support.
+
+mailcrypt
+ Support for messaging encryption with PGP.
+
+mew
+ Messaging in an Emacs World; a MIME-based email program.
+
+mh-e
+ The XEmacs Interface to the MH Mail System.
+
+mine
+ Elisp implementation of the game 'Minehunt'.
+
+misc-games
+ Other amusements and diversions.
+
+mmm-mode
+ Support for Multiple Major Modes within a single buffer.
+
+net-utils
+ Miscellaneous Networking Utilities.
+
+ocaml
+ Objective Caml editing support.
+
+oo-browser
+ OO-Browser: The Multi-Language Object-Oriented Code Browser.
+
+ocaml
+ Objective Caml editing support.
+
+os-utils
+ Miscellaneous single-file O/S utilities, for printing, archiving,
+ compression, remote shells, etc.
+
+pc
+ PC style interface emulation.
+
+pcl-cvs
+ CVS frontend.
+
+pcomplete
+ Provides programmatic completion.
+
+perl-modes
+ Perl support.
+
+pgg
+ Emacs interface to various PGP implementations.
+
+prog-modes
+ Support for various programming languages.
+
+ps-print
+ Printing functions and utilities.
+
+psgml
+ Validated HTML/SGML editing.
+
+psgml-dtds
+ A collection of DTDs for psgml. Note that this package is
+ deprecated and will be removed in the future, most likely Q2/2003.
+ Instead of using this, you should install needed DTDs yourself.
+
+python-modes
+ Python language support.
+
+reftex
+ Emacs support for LaTeX cross-references, citations.
+
+riece
+ IRC (Internet Relay Chat) client for Emacs.
+
+rmail
+ An obsolete Emacs mailer. If you do not already use it don't
+ start.
+
+ruby-modes
+ Ruby support.
+
+sasl
+ Simple Authentication and Security Layer (SASL) library.
+
+scheme
+ Front-end support for Inferior Scheme.
+
+semantic
+ Semantic bovinator (Yacc/Lex for XEmacs). Includes Senator.
+
+sgml
+ SGML/Linuxdoc-SGML editing.
+
+sh-script
+ Support for editing shell scripts.
+
+sieve
+ Manage Sieve email filtering scripts.
+
+slider
+ User interface tool.
+
+sml-mode
+ SML editing support.
+
+sounds-au
+ XEmacs Sun sound files.
+
+sounds-wav
+ XEmacs Microsoft sound files.
+
+speedbar
+ Provides a separate frame with convenient references.
+
+strokes
+ Mouse enhancement utility.
+
+supercite
+ An Emacs citation tool for News & Mail messages.
+
+texinfo
+ XEmacs TeXinfo support.
+
+text-modes
+ Miscellaneous support for editing text files.
+
+textools
+ Miscellaneous TeX support.
+
+time
+ Display time & date on the modeline.
+
+tm
+ Emacs MIME support. Not needed for gnus >= 5.8.0.
+
+tooltalk
+ Support for building with Tooltalk.
+
+tpu
+ DEC EDIT/TPU support.
+
+tramp
+ Remote shell-based file editing. This is similar to EFS or
+ Ange-FTP, but works with rsh/ssh and rcp/scp.
+
+vc
+ Version Control for Free systems.
+
+vc-cc
+ Version Control for ClearCase (UnFree) systems.
+
+vhdl
+ Support for VHDL.
+
+view-process
+ A Unix process browsing tool.
+
+viper
+ VI emulation support.
+
+vm
+ An Emacs mailer.
+
+w3
+ A Web browser.
+
+x-symbol
+ Semi WYSIWYG for LaTeX, HTML, etc, using additional fonts.
+
+xemacs-base
+ Fundamental XEmacs support, you almost certainly need this.
+
+xemacs-devel
+ XEmacs Lisp developer support. This package contains utilities for
+ supporting Lisp development. It is a single-file package so it
+ may be tailored.
+
+xlib
+ Emacs interface to X server.
+
+xslide
+ XSL editing support.
+
+xslt-process
+ A minor mode for (X)Emacs which allows running an XSLT processor
+ on a buffer.
+
+xwem
+ X Emacs Window Manager.
+
+zenirc
+ ZENIRC IRC Client.
+
+Mule Support (mule)
+-------------------
+
+MULti-lingual Enhancement. Support for world scripts such as Latin,
+Arabic, Cyrillic, Chinese, Japanese, Greek, Hebrew etc. To use these
+packages your XEmacs must be compiled with Mule support.
+
+edict
+ MULE: Lisp Interface to EDICT, Kanji Dictionary.
+
+egg-its
+ MULE: Wnn (4.2 and 6) support. SJ3 support.
+
+latin-unity
+ MULE: find single ISO 8859 character set to encode a buffer.
+
+latin-unity
+ Unify character sets in a buffer. When characters belong to
+ disjoint character sets, this attempts to translate the characters
+ so that they belong to one character set. If the buffer coding
+ system is not sufficient, this suggests different coding systems.
+
+leim
+ MULE: Quail. All non-English and non-Japanese language support.
+
+locale
+ MULE: Localized menubars and localized splash screens.
+
+lookup
+ Dictionary support. (This isn't an English dictionary program)
+
+mule-base
+ MULE: Basic Mule support, required for building with Mule.
+
+mule-ucs
+ MULE: Extended coding systems (including Unicode) for XEmacs.
+
+mule-ucs
+ Extended coding systems (including Unicode) for XEmacs.
+
+skk
+ Another Japanese Language Input Method. Can be used without a
+ separate process running as a dictionary server.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.7.3, Next: Q1.7.4, Prev: Q1.7.2, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.7.3: Do I need to have the packages to run XEmacs?
+-----------------------------------------------------
+
+Strictly speaking, no. XEmacs will build and install just fine without
+any packages installed. However, only the most basic editing functions
+will be available with no packages installed, so installing packages is
+an essential part of making your installed XEmacs _useful_.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.7.4, Next: Q1.8.1, Prev: Q1.7.3, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.7.4: Is there a way to find which package has particular functionality?
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+If you want to find out which package contains the functionality you
+are looking for, use `M-x package-get-package-provider', and give it a
+symbol that is likely to be in that package.
+
+ For example, if some code you want to use has a `(require
+'thingatpt)' in it:
+
+ M-x package-get-package-provider RET thingatpt RET
+
+ which will return something like: `(fsf-compat "1.08").'
+
+1.8: Internationalization
+=========================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.8.1, Next: Q1.8.2, Prev: Q1.7.4, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.8.1: What is the status of internationalization support aka MULE (including Asian language support)?
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Both the stable and development versions of XEmacs include
+internationalization support (aka MULE). MULE currently (21.4) works on
+UNIX and Linux systems. It is possible to build with MULE on Windows
+systems, but if you really need MULE on Windows, it is recommended that
+you build and use the development (21.5) version, and deal with the
+instability of the development tree. Binaries compiled without MULE
+support run faster than MULE capable XEmacsen.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.8.2, Next: Q1.8.3, Prev: Q1.8.1, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.8.2: How can I help with internationalization?
+-------------------------------------------------
+
+If you would like to help, you may want to join the
+<xemacs-mule@xemacs.org> mailing list. Especially needed are people
+who speak/write languages other than English, who are willing to use
+XEmacs/MULE regularly, and have some experience with Elisp.
+
+ Translations of the TUTORIAL and man page are welcome, and XEmacs
+does support multilingual menus, but we have few current translations.
+
+ *Note How do I become a Beta Tester?: Q1.5.2.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.8.3, Next: Q1.8.4, Prev: Q1.8.2, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.8.3: How do I type non-ASCII characters?
+-------------------------------------------
+
+*Note How can you type in special characters in XEmacs?: Q3.0.6, in
+part 3 of this FAQ, for some simple methods that also work in non-MULE
+builds of XEmacs (but only for one-octet coded character sets, and
+mostly for ISO 8859/1). Many of the methods available for Cyrillic
+(*note How about Cyrillic modes?: Q1.8.7.) work without MULE. MULE has
+more general capabilities. *Note Please explain the various input
+methods in MULE/XEmacs: Q1.8.5.
+
+ *Note How do I display non-ASCII characters?: Q4.0.8, which covers
+display of non-ASCII characters.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.8.4, Next: Q1.8.5, Prev: Q1.8.3, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.8.4: Can XEmacs messages come out in a different language?
+-------------------------------------------------------------
+
+The message-catalog support was written but is badly bit-rotted. XEmacs
+20 and 21 did _not_ support it, and early releases of XEmacs 22 will
+not either.
+
+ However, menubar localization _does_ work. To enable it, add to
+your `Emacs' file entries like this:
+
+ Emacs*XlwMenu.resourceLabels: True
+ Emacs*XlwMenu.file.labelString: Fichier
+ Emacs*XlwMenu.openInOtherWindow.labelString: In anderem Fenster oeffnen
+
+ The name of the resource is derived from the non-localized entry by
+removing punctuation and capitalizing as above.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.8.5, Next: Q1.8.6, Prev: Q1.8.4, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.8.5: Please explain the various input methods in MULE/XEmacs
+---------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Mule supports a wide variety of input methods. There are three basic
+classes: Lisp implementations, generic platform support, and library
+interfaces.
+
+ _Lisp implementations_ include Quail, which provides table-driven
+input methods for almost all the character sets that Mule supports
+(including all of the ISO 8859 family, the Indic languages, Thai, and
+so on), and SKK, for Japanese. (SKK also supports an interface to an
+external "dictionary server" process.) Quail supports both typical
+"dead-key" methods (eg, in the "latin-1-prefix" method, `" a' produces
+ä, LATIN SMALL LETTER A WITH DIAERESIS), and the complex
+dictionary-based phonetic methods used for Asian ideographic languages
+like Chinese.
+
+ Lisp implementations can be less powerful (but they are not
+perceptibly inefficient), and of course are not portable to non-Emacs
+applications. The incompatibility can be very annoying. On the other
+hand, they require no special platform support or external libraries,
+so if you can display the characters, Mule can input them for you and
+you can edit, anywhere.
+
+ _Generic platform support_ is currently limited to the X Input
+Method (XIM) framework, although support for MSIME (for MS Windows) is
+planned, and IIIMF (Sun's Internet-Intranet Input Method Framework)
+support is extremely desirable. XIM is enabled at build time by use of
+the `--with-xim' flag to `configure'. For use of XIM, see your
+platform documentation. However, normally the input method you use is
+specified via the `LANG' and `XMODIFIERS' environment variables.
+
+ Of course, input skills are portable across most applications.
+However, especially in modern GUI systems the habit of using bucky bits
+has fallen into sad disuse, and many XIM systems are poorly configured
+for use with Emacs. For example, the kinput2 input manager (a separate
+process providing an interface between Japanese dictionary servers such
+as Canna and Wnn, and the application) tends to gobble up keystrokes
+generating Meta characters. This means that to edit while using an XIM
+input method, you must toggle the input method off every time you want
+to use `M-f'. Your mileage may vary.
+
+ _Library interfaces_ are most common for Japanese, although Wnn
+supports Chinese (traditional and simplified) and Korean. There are
+Chinese and Korean input servers available, but we do not know of any
+patches for XEmacs to use them directly. You can use them via
+IM-enabled terminals, by manipulating the terminal coding systems. We
+describe only the Japanese-oriented systems here. The advantage of
+these systems is that they are very powerful, and on platforms where
+they are available there is typically a wide range of applications that
+support them. Thus your input skills are portable across applications.
+
+ Mule provides built-in interfaces to the following input methods:
+Wnn4, Wnn6, Canna, and SJ3. These can be configured at build time.
+There are patches available (no URL, sorry) to support the SKK server,
+as well. Wnn and SJ3 use the `egg' user interface. The interface for
+Canna is specialized to Canna.
+
+ Wnn supports Japanese, Chinese and Korean. It is made by OMRON and
+Kyôto University. It is a powerful and complex system. Wnn4 is free
+and Wnn6 is not. Wnn uses grammatical hints and probability of word
+association, so in principle Wnn can be cleverer than other methods.
+
+ Canna, made by NEC, supports only Japanese. It is a simple and
+powerful system. Canna uses only grammar, but its grammar and
+dictionary are quite sophisticated. So for standard modern Japanese,
+Canna seems cleverer than Wnn4. In addition, the UNIX version of Canna
+is free (now there is a Microsoft Windows version).
+
+ SJ3, by Sony, supports only Japanese.
+
+ Egg consists of following parts:
+
+ 1. Input character Translation System (ITS) layer. It translates
+ ASCII inputs to Kana/PinYin/Hangul characters.
+
+ 2. Kana/PinYin/Hangul to Kanji transfer layer. The interface layer
+ to network Kana-Kanji server (Wnn and Sj3).
+
+ These input methods are modal. They have a raw (alphabet) mode, a
+phonetic input mode, and Kana-Kanji transfer mode. However there are
+mode-less input methods for Egg and Canna. `boiled-egg' is a mode-less
+input method running on Egg. For Canna, `canna.el' has a tiny
+boiled-egg-like command, `(canna-boil)', and there are some
+boiled-egg-like utilities.
+
+ Much of this information was provided by MORIOKA Tomohiko
+<morioka@jaist.ac.jp>.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.8.6, Next: Q1.8.7, Prev: Q1.8.5, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.8.6: How do I portably code for MULE/XEmacs?
+-----------------------------------------------
+
+MULE has evolved rapidly over the last few years, and the original third
+party patch (for GNU Emacs 19), GNU Emacs 20+, and XEmacs 20+ have quite
+different implementations. The APIs also vary although recent versions
+of XEmacs have tended to converge to the GNU Emacs standard.
+
+ MULE implementations are going to continue to evolve. Both GNU Emacs
+and XEmacs are working hard on Unicode support, which will involve new
+APIs and probably variations on old ones. For XEmacs 22, the old ISO
+2022-based system for recognizing encodings will be replaced by a much
+more flexible system, which should improve accuracy of automatic coding
+detections, but will also involve new APIs.
+
+ MORIOKA Tomohiko <morioka@jaist.ac.jp> writes:
+
+ The application implementor must write separate code for these mule
+ variants. [Please don't hesitate to report these variants to us;
+ they are not, strictly speaking, bugs, but they give third-party
+ developers the same kind of creepy-crawly feeling. We'll do what
+ we can. - Ed.]
+
+ MULE and the next version of Emacs are similar but the symbols are
+ very different--requiring separate code as well.
+
+ Namely we must support 3 kinds of mule variants and 4 or 5 or 6
+ kinds of emacs variants... (;_;) I'm shocked, so I wrote a wrapper
+ package called `emu' to provide a common interface. [There is an
+ XEmacs package of APEL which provides much more comprehensive
+ coverage. Be careful, however; APEL has problems of its own. -
+ Ed.]
+
+ I have the following suggestions about dealing with mule variants:
+
+ * `(featurep 'mule)' `t' on all mule variants
+
+ * `(boundp 'MULE)' is `t' on only MULE. Maybe the next version
+ of Emacs will not have this symbol.
+
+ * MULE has a variable `mule-version'. Perhaps the next version
+ of Emacs will have this variable as well.
+
+ Following is a sample to distinguish mule variants:
+
+ (if (featurep 'mule)
+ (cond ((boundp 'MULE)
+ ;; for original Mule
+ )
+ ((string-match "XEmacs" emacs-version)
+ ;; for XEmacs with Mule
+ )
+ (t
+ ;; for next version of Emacs
+ ))
+ ;; for old emacs variants
+ )
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.8.7, Next: Q1.8.8, Prev: Q1.8.6, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.8.7: How about Cyrillic modes?
+---------------------------------
+
+Ilya Zakharevich <ilya@math.ohio-state.edu> writes:
+
+ There is a cyrillic mode in the file `mysetup.zip' in
+ `ftp://ftp.math.ohio-state.edu/pub/users/ilya/emacs/'. This is a
+ modification to Valery Alexeev's <ava@math.jhu.ed> `russian.el'
+ which can be obtained from
+
+ `http://www.math.uga.edu/~valery/russian.el'.
+
+ Dima Barsky <d.barsky@ee.surrey.ac.uk> writes:
+
+ There is another cyrillic mode for both GNU Emacs and XEmacs by
+ Dmitrii (Mitya) Manin <manin@camelot.mssm.edu> at
+ `http://kulichki-lat.rambler.ru/centrolit/manin/cyr.el'.
+
+ Rebecca Ore <rebecca.ore@op.net> writes:
+
+ The fullest resource I found on Russian language use (in and out of
+ XEmacs) is `http://www.ibiblio.org/sergei/Software/Software.html'
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.8.8, Next: Q1.8.9, Prev: Q1.8.7, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.8.8: Does XEmacs support Unicode?
+------------------------------------
+
+To get Unicode support, you need a Mule-enabled XEmacs.
+
+ 21.5 has internal support for Unicode and supports it fully,
+although we don't yet use it as the internal encoding.
+
+ 21.4 supports Unicode partially - as an external encoding for files,
+processes, and terminals, but without font support. *Note How does
+XEmacs display Unicode?: Q1.8.9. To get Unicode support in 21.4,
+install Mule-UCS from packages in the usual way, and put
+
+ (require 'un-define)
+ (set-coding-priority-list '(utf-8))
+ (set-coding-category-system 'utf-8 'utf-8)
+
+ in your init file to enable the UTF-8 coding system. You may wish to
+view the documentation of `set-coding-priority-list' if you find that
+files that are not UTF-8 are being mis-recognized as UTF-8.
+
+ Install standard national fonts (not Unicode fonts) for all character
+sets you use. *Note How does XEmacs display Unicode??: Q1.8.9.
+
+ Mule-UCS also supports 16-bit forms of Unicode (UTF-16). It does not
+support 31-bit forms of Unicode (UTF-32 or UCS-4).
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q1.8.9, Prev: Q1.8.8, Up: Introduction
+
+Q1.8.9: How does XEmacs display Unicode?
+----------------------------------------
+
+Mule doesn't have a Unicode charset internally, so there's nothing to
+bind a Unicode registry to. It would not be straightforward to create,
+either, because Unicode is not ISO 2022-compatible. You'd have to
+translate it to multiple 96x96 pages.
+
+ This means that Mule-UCS uses ordinary national fonts for display.
+This is not really a problem, except for those languages that use the
+Unified Han characters. The problem here is that Mule-UCS maps from
+Unicode code points to national character sets in a deterministic way.
+By default, this means that Japanese fonts are tried first, then
+Chinese, then Korean. To change the priority ordering, use the command
+`un-define-change-charset-order'.
+
+ It also means you can't use Unicode fonts directly, at least not
+without extreme hackery. You can run -nw with
+(set-terminal-coding-system 'utf-8) if you really want a Unicode font
+for some reason.
+
+ Real Unicode support will be introduced in XEmacs 22.0.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Installation, Next: Editing, Prev: Introduction, Up: Top
+
+2 Installation and Troubleshooting
+**********************************
+
+This is part 2 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
+section is devoted to Installation, Maintenance and Troubleshooting.
+
+* Menu:
+
+2.0: Installation (General)
+* Q2.0.1:: How do I build and install XEmacs?
+* Q2.0.2:: Where do I find external libraries?
+* Q2.0.3:: How do I specify the paths that XEmacs uses for finding files?
+* Q2.0.4:: Running XEmacs without installing
+* Q2.0.5:: XEmacs is too big
+
+2.1: Package Installation
+* Q2.1.1:: How do I install the packages?
+* Q2.1.2:: Can I install the packages individually?
+* Q2.1.3:: Can I install the packages automatically?
+* Q2.1.4:: Can I upgrade or remove packages?
+* Q2.1.5:: Which packages to install?
+* Q2.1.6:: Can you describe the package location process in more detail?
+* Q2.1.7:: EFS fails with "500 AUTH not understood"
+
+2.2: Unix/Mac OS X Installation (Also Relevant to Cygwin, MinGW)
+* Q2.2.1:: Libraries in non-standard locations
+* Q2.2.2:: Why can't I strip XEmacs?
+
+2.3: Windows Installation (Windows, Cygwin, MinGW)
+* Q2.3.1:: What exactly are all the different ways to build XEmacs under Windows?
+* Q2.3.2:: What compiler/libraries do I need to compile XEmacs?
+* Q2.3.3:: How do I compile the native port?
+* Q2.3.4:: What do I need for Cygwin?
+* Q2.3.5:: How do I compile under Cygwin?
+* Q2.3.6:: How do I compile using MinGW (aka `the -mno-cygwin flag to gcc')?
+* Q2.3.7:: How do I compile with X support?
+* Q2.3.8:: Cygwin XEmacs won't start -- cygXpm-noX4.dll was not found (NEW)
+
+2.4: General Troubleshooting
+* Q2.4.1:: How do I deal with bugs or with problems building, installing, or running?
+* Q2.4.2:: Help! XEmacs just crashed on me!
+* Q2.4.3:: XEmacs crashes and I compiled it myself.
+* Q2.4.4:: How to debug an XEmacs problem with a debugger
+* Q2.4.5:: I get a cryptic error message when trying to do something.
+* Q2.4.6:: XEmacs hangs when I try to do something.
+* Q2.4.7:: I get an error message when XEmacs is running in batch mode.
+* Q2.4.8:: The keyboard or mouse is not working properly, or I have some other event-related problem.
+* Q2.4.9:: C-g doesn't work for me. Is it broken?
+* Q2.4.10:: How do I debug process-related problems?
+* Q2.4.11:: XEmacs is outputting lots of X errors.
+* Q2.4.12:: After upgrading, XEmacs won't do `foo' any more!
+
+2.5: Startup-Related Problems
+* Q2.5.1:: XEmacs cannot connect to my X Terminal!
+* Q2.5.2:: Startup problems related to paths or package locations.
+* Q2.5.3:: XEmacs won't start without network.
+* Q2.5.4:: Startup warnings about deducing proper fonts?
+* Q2.5.5:: Warnings from incorrect key modifiers.
+* Q2.5.6:: XEmacs 21.1 on Windows used to spawn an ugly console window on every startup. Has that been fixed?
+
+2.0: Installation (General)
+===========================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.0.1, Next: Q2.0.2, Prev: Installation, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.0.1: How do I build and install XEmacs?
+------------------------------------------
+
+See the file `etc/NEWS' for information on new features and other
+user-visible changes since the last version of XEmacs.
+
+ The file `INSTALL' in the top-level directory says how to bring up
+XEmacs on Unix and Cygwin, once you have loaded the entire subtree of
+this directory.
+
+ See the file `nt/README' for instructions on building XEmacs for
+Microsoft Windows.
+
+ *Note Q2.1.1::, for the installation of (essential) add on packages.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.0.2, Next: Q2.0.3, Prev: Q2.0.1, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.0.2: Where do I find external libraries?
+-------------------------------------------
+
+All external libraries used by XEmacs can be found on the XEmacs web
+site `http://www.xemacs.org/Download/optLibs.html'.
+
+ The library versions available here are known to work with XEmacs.
+(Newer versions will probably work as well but we can't guarantee it.)
+We try to keep the libraries up-to-date but may not always succeed.
+Check the above page for the canonical locations of the external
+libraries, allowing you to download the latest, bleeding-edge versions.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.0.3, Next: Q2.0.4, Prev: Q2.0.2, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.0.3: How do I specify the paths that XEmacs uses for finding files?
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+You can specify what paths to use by using a number of different flags
+when running configure. See the section MAKE VARIABLES in the top-level
+file INSTALL in the XEmacs distribution for a listing of those flags.
+
+ Most of the time, however, the simplest fix is: *do not* specify
+paths as you might for GNU Emacs. XEmacs can generally determine the
+necessary paths dynamically at run time. The only path that generally
+needs to be specified is the root directory to install into. That can
+be specified by passing the `--prefix' flag to configure. For a
+description of the XEmacs install tree, please consult the `NEWS' file.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.0.4, Next: Q2.0.5, Prev: Q2.0.3, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.0.4: Running XEmacs without installing
+-----------------------------------------
+
+How can I just try XEmacs without installing it?
+
+ XEmacs will run in place without requiring installation and copying
+of the Lisp directories, and without having to specify a special
+build-time flag. It's the copying of the Lisp directories that
+requires so much space. XEmacs is largely written in Lisp.
+
+ A good method is to make a shell alias for xemacs:
+
+ alias xemacs=/src/xemacs-21.5/src/xemacs
+
+ (You will obviously use whatever directory you downloaded the source
+tree to instead of `/src/xemacs-21.5').
+
+ This will let you run XEmacs without massive copying.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.0.5, Next: Q2.1.1, Prev: Q2.0.4, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.0.5: XEmacs is too big
+-------------------------
+
+The space required by the installation directories can be reduced
+dramatically if desired. Gzip all the .el files. Remove all the
+packages you'll never want to use. Remove the TexInfo manuals. Remove
+the Info (and use just hardcopy versions of the manual). Remove most
+of the stuff in etc. Remove or gzip all the source code. Gzip or
+remove the C source code. Configure it so that copies are not made of
+the support lisp.
+
+ These are all Emacs Lisp source code and bytecompiled object code.
+You may safely gzip everything named *.el here. You may remove any
+package you don't use. _Nothing bad will happen if you delete a package
+that you do not use_. You must be sure you do not use it though, so be
+conservative at first.
+
+ Any package with the possible exceptions of xemacs-base, and EFS are
+candidates for removal. Ask yourself, _Do I ever want to use this
+package?_ If the answer is no, then it is a candidate for removal.
+
+ First, gzip all the .el files. Then go about package by package and
+start gzipping the .elc files. Then run XEmacs and do whatever it is
+you normally do. If nothing bad happens, then remove the package. You
+can remove a package via the PUI interface (`M-x pui-list-packages',
+then press `d' to mark the packages you wish to delete, and then `x' to
+delete them.
+
+ Another method is to do `M-x package-get-delete-package'.
+
+2.1: Package Installation
+=========================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.1.1, Next: Q2.1.2, Prev: Q2.0.5, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.1.1: How do I install the packages?
+--------------------------------------
+
+There are three ways to install the packages.
+
+ 1. Manually, all at once, using the 'Sumo Tarball'.
+
+ 2. Manually, using individual package tarballs.
+
+ 3. Automatically, using the package tools from XEmacs.
+
+ If you don't want to mess with the packages, it is easiest to just
+grab them manually, all at once. (For the other two ways, *Note
+Q2.1.2::, and *Note Q2.1.3::.) Download the file
+
+ `xemacs-sumo.tar.gz'
+
+ For an XEmacs compiled with Mule you also need
+
+ `xemacs-mule-sumo.tar.gz'
+
+ These are in the `packages' directory on your XEmacs mirror archive:
+`ftp://ftp.xemacs.org/pub/xemacs/packages' or its mirrors. N.B. They
+are called 'Sumo Tarballs' for good reason. They are currently about
+19MB and 4.5MB (gzipped) respectively.
+
+ Install them on Unix and Mac OS X using the shell/Terminal command
+
+ `cd $prefix/lib/xemacs ; gunzip -c <tarballname> | tar xf -'
+
+ Where `$prefix' is what you gave to the `--prefix' flag to
+`configure', and defaults to `/usr/local'.
+
+ If you have GNU tar you can use:
+
+ `cd $prefix/lib/xemacs ; tar zxvf <tarballname>'
+
+ If you have the packages somewhere nonstandard and don't want to
+bother with `$prefix' (for example, you're a developer and are compiling
+the packages yourself, and want your own private copy of everything),
+you can also directly specify this using `configure'. To do this with
+21.5 and above use the `--with-package-prefix' parameter to specify the
+directory under which you untarred the above tarballs. Under 21.4 and
+previous you need to use `--package-path'. Using these options looks
+something like this:
+
+ configure --package-path="~/.xemacs::/src/xemacs/site-packages:/src/xemacs/xemacs-packages:/src/xemacs/mule-packages" ...
+
+ Under Windows, you need to place the above `tar.gz' files in the
+directory specified using the `PACKAGE_PREFIX' value in `nt/config.inc'
+and by default is `\Program Files\XEmacs'. (To untar a `tar.gz' file
+you will need to use a utility such as WinZip, unless you have Cygwin
+or a similar environment installed, in which case the above Unix shell
+command should work fine.) If you want the packages somewhere else,
+just change `PACKAGE_PREFIX'.
+
+ Note that XEmacs finds the packages automatically anywhere underneath
+the directory tree where it expects to find the packages. All you need
+to do is put stuff there; you don't need to run any program to tell
+XEmacs to find the packges, or do anything of that sort.
+
+ However, XEmacs will only notice newly installed packages when it
+starts up, so you will have to restart if you are already running
+XEmacs.
+
+ For more details, *Note Startup Paths: (xemacs)Startup Paths, and
+*Note Packages: (xemacs)Packages.
+
+ As the Sumo tarballs are not regenerated as often as the individual
+packages, it is recommended that you use the automatic package tools
+afterwards to pick up any recent updates.
+
+ _NOTE_: For detailed information about how the package hierarchies
+work, *Note Package Overview: (lispref)Package Overview.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.1.2, Next: Q2.1.3, Prev: Q2.1.1, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.1.2: Can I install the packages individually?
+------------------------------------------------
+
+Yes, you can download individual packages from the FTP site (*note
+Q2.1.1::). Since packages are automatically noticed at startup, you
+just have to put them in the right place.
+
+ Note: If you are upgrading packages already installed, it's best to
+remove the old package first (*note Q2.1.4::).
+
+ For example if we are installing the `xemacs-base' package (version
+1.48):
+
+ mkdir $prefix/lib/xemacs/xemacs-packages RET # if it does not exist yet
+ cd $prefix/lib/xemacs/xemacs-packages RET
+ gunzip -c /path/to/xemacs-base-1.48-pkg.tar.gz | tar xvf - RET
+
+ Or if you have GNU tar, the last step can be:
+
+ tar zxvf /path/to/xemacs-base-1.48-pkg.tar.gz RET
+
+ For MULE related packages, it is best to untar into the
+`mule-packages' hierarchy, i.e. for the `mule-base' package, version
+1.37:
+
+ mkdir $prefix/lib/xemacs/mule-packages RET # if it does not exist yet
+ cd $prefix/lib/xemacs/mule-packages RET
+ gunzip -c /path/to/mule-base-1.37-pkg.tar.gz | tar xvf - RET
+
+ Or if you have GNU tar, the last step can be:
+
+ tar zxvf /path/to/mule-base-1.37-pkg.tar.gz RET
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.1.3, Next: Q2.1.4, Prev: Q2.1.2, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.1.3: Can I install the packages automatically?
+-------------------------------------------------
+
+XEmacs comes with some tools to make the periodic updating and
+installing easier. It will notice if new packages or versions are
+available and will fetch them from the FTP site.
+
+ Unfortunately this requires that a few packages are already in place.
+You will have to install them by hand as above or use a SUMO tarball.
+This requirement will hopefully go away in the future. The packages you
+need are:
+
+ efs - To fetch the files from the FTP site or mirrors.
+ xemacs-base - Needed by efs.
+
+ and optionally:
+
+ mailcrypt - For PGP verification of the package-index file.
+
+ After installing these by hand, fire up XEmacs and follow these
+steps.
+
+ 1. Choose a download site.
+ * via menu: Tools -> Packages -> Set Download Site
+
+ * via keyb: M-x customize-variable RET package-get-remote RET
+ (put in the details of remote host and directory)
+
+ If the package tarballs _AND_ the package-index file are in a
+ local directory, you can: M-x pui-set-local-package-get-directory
+ RET
+
+ 2. Obtain a list of packages and display the list in a buffer named
+ "*Packages*".
+ * menu: Tools -> Packages -> List & Install
+
+ * keyb: M-x pui-list-packages RET
+
+ XEmacs will now connect to the remote site and download the latest
+ package-index file.
+
+ The resulting buffer, "*Packages*" has brief instructions at the
+ end of the buffer.
+
+ 3. Choose the packages you wish to install.
+ * mouse: Click button 2 on the package name.
+
+ * keyb: RET on the package name
+
+ 4. Make sure you have everything you need.
+ * menu: Packages -> Add Required
+
+ * keyb: r
+
+ XEmacs will now search for packages that are required by the ones
+ that you have chosen to install and offer to select those packages
+ also.
+
+ For novices and gurus alike, this step can save your bacon. It's
+ easy to forget to install a critical package.
+
+ 5. Download and install the packages.
+ * menu: Packages -> Install/Remove Selected
+
+ * keyb: x
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.1.4, Next: Q2.1.5, Prev: Q2.1.3, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.1.4: Can I upgrade or remove packages?
+-----------------------------------------
+
+As the exact files and their locations contained in a package may
+change it is recommended to remove a package first before installing a
+new version. In order to facilitate removal each package contains an
+pgkinfo/MANIFEST.pkgname file which list all the files belong to the
+package. M-x package-admin-delete-binary-package RET can be used to
+remove a package using this file.
+
+ Note that the interactive package tools included with XEmacs already
+do this for you.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.1.5, Next: Q2.1.6, Prev: Q2.1.4, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.1.5: Which packages to install?
+----------------------------------
+
+Unless you are an advanced user, just install everything.
+
+ If you really want to install only what's absolutely needed, a good
+minimal set of packages for XEmacs-latin1 would be
+
+ xemacs-base, xemacs-devel, c-support, cc-mode, debug, dired, efs,
+ edit-utils, fsf-compat, mail-lib, net-utils, os-utils, prog-modes,
+ text-modes, time, mailcrypt
+
+ If you are using the XEmacs package tools, don't forget to do:
+
+ Packages -> Add Required
+
+ To make sure you have everything that the packages you have chosen to
+install need.
+
+ *Note Q1.7.2::, for a description of the various packages.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.1.6, Next: Q2.1.7, Prev: Q2.1.5, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.1.6: Can you describe the package location process in more detail?
+---------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+On startup XEmacs looks for packages in so-called package hierarchies.
+Normally, there are three system wide hierarchies, like this:
+
+ $prefix/lib/xemacs/xemacs-packages/
+ Normal packages go here.
+
+ $prefix/lib/xemacs/mule-packages/
+ Mule packages go here and are only searched by MULE-enabled XEmacsen.
+
+ $prefix/lib/xemacs/site-packages/
+ Local and 3rd party packages go here.
+
+ This is what you get when you untar the SUMO tarballs under
+`$prefix/lib/xemacs'.
+
+ `$prefix' is specified using the `--prefix' parameter to
+`configure', and defaults to `usr/local'.
+
+ If the package path is not explicitly specified, XEmacs looks for the
+package directory `xemacs-packages' (and `mule-packages' and
+`site-packages') first under `~/.xemacs', then for a sister directory
+`lib/xemacs-VERSION' of the directory in which the XEmacs executable is
+located, then for a sister directory `lib/xemacs'. The XEmacs
+executable (under Unix at least) is installed by default in
+`/usr/local/bin'; this explains why XEmacs in its default installation
+will find packages that you put under `/usr/local/lib/xemacs'.
+
+ You can specify where exactly XEmacs looks for packages by using the
+`--with-package-prefix' or `--with-package-path' parameters to
+`configure' (or the equivalent settings in `config.inc', under
+Windows), or setting the `EMACSPACKAGEPATH' environment variable (which
+has the same format as `--with-package-path'). *Note Q2.1.1::.
+
+ See `configure.usage' for more info about the format of these
+`configure' parameters.
+
+ In addition to the system wide packages, each user can have his own
+packages installed under `~/.xemacs/'. If you want to install packages
+there using the interactive tools, you need to set
+`package-get-install-to-user-init-directory' to `t'.
+
+ The site-packages hierarchy replaces the old `site-lisp' directory.
+XEmacs no longer looks into a `site-lisp' directly by default. A good
+place to put `site-start.el' would be in
+`$prefix/lib/xemacs/site-packages/lisp/'.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.1.7, Next: Q2.2.1, Prev: Q2.1.6, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.1.7: EFS fails with "500 AUTH not understood" (NEW)
+------------------------------------------------------
+
+A typical error: FTP Error: USER request failed; 500 AUTH not
+understood.
+
+ Thanks to giacomo boffi <giacomo.boffi@polimi.it> who recommends on
+comp.emacs.xemacs:
+
+ tell your ftp client to not attempt AUTH authentication (or do not
+use FTP servers that don't understand AUTH)
+
+ and notes that you need to add an element (often "-u") to
+`efs-ftp-program-args'. Use M-x customize-variable, and verify the
+needed flag with `man ftp' or other local documentation.
+
+2.2: Unix/Mac OS X Installation (Also Relevant to Cygwin, MinGW)
+================================================================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.2.1, Next: Q2.2.2, Prev: Q2.1.7, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.2.1: Libraries in non-standard locations
+-------------------------------------------
+
+If your libraries are in a non-standard location, you can specify the
+location using the following flags to `configure'. Under 21.4 or
+earlier:
+
+ --site-libraries=WHATEVER
+ --site-includes=WHATEVER
+
+ Under 21.5 or later:
+
+ --with-site-libraries=WHATEVER
+ --with-site-includes=WHATEVER
+
+ If you have multiple paths to specify, use the following syntax:
+
+ --site-libraries='/path/one /path/two /path/etc'
+
+ If the libraries and headers reside in the directories `lib' and
+`include' of a common root (say `/sw') then both can be specified with
+a single option:
+
+ --site-prefixes=WHATEVER
+
+ or for 21.5:
+
+ --with-site-prefixes=WHATEVER
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.2.2, Next: Q2.3.1, Prev: Q2.2.1, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.2.2: Why can't I strip XEmacs?
+---------------------------------
+
+Richard Cognot <cognot@fronsac.ensg.u-nancy.fr> writes:
+
+ Because of the way XEmacs (and every other Emacsen, AFAIK) is
+ built. The link gives you a bare-boned emacs (called temacs).
+ temacs is then run, preloading some of the lisp files. The result
+ is then dumped into a new executable, named xemacs, which will
+ contain all of the preloaded lisp functions and data.
+
+ Now, during the dump itself, the executable (code+data+symbols) is
+ written on disk using a special unexec() function. This function is
+ obviously heavily system dependent. And on some systems, it leads
+ to an executable which, although valid, cannot be stripped without
+ damage. If memory serves, this is especially the case for AIX
+ binaries. On other architectures it might work OK.
+
+ The Right Way to strip the emacs binary is to strip temacs prior to
+ dumping xemacs. This will always work, although you can do that
+ only if you install from sources (as temacs is `not' part of the
+ binary kits).
+
+ Nat Makarevitch <nat@nataa.fr.eu.org> writes:
+
+ Here is the trick:
+
+ 1. [ ./configure; make ]
+
+ 2. rm src/xemacs
+
+ 3. strip src/temacs
+
+ 4. make
+
+ 5. cp src/xemacs /usr/local/bin/xemacs
+
+ 6. cp lib-src/DOC-19.16-XEmacs
+ /usr/local/lib/xemacs-19.16/i586-unknown-linuxaout
+
+2.3: Windows Installation (Windows, Cygwin, MinGW)
+==================================================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.3.1, Next: Q2.3.2, Prev: Q2.2.2, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.3.1: What exactly are all the different ways to build XEmacs under Windows?
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+XEmacs can be built in several ways in the MS Windows environment.
+
+ The standard way is what we call the "native" port. It uses the
+Win32 API and has no connection with X whatsoever - it does not require
+X libraries to build, nor does it require an X server to run. The
+native port is the most reliable version and provides the best graphical
+support. Almost all development is geared towards this version, and
+there is little reason not to use it.
+
+ The second way to build is the Cygwin port. It takes advantage of
+Cygnus emulation library under Win32. *Note What are Cygwin and MinGW:
+Q1.2.5, for more information.
+
+ A third way is the MinGW port. It uses the Cygwin environment to
+build but does not require it at runtime. *Note What are Cygwin and
+MinGW: Q1.2.5, for more information.
+
+ Finally, you might also be able to build the non-Cygwin, non-MinGW
+"X" port. This was actually the first version of XEmacs that ran under
+MS Windows, and although the code is still in XEmacs, it's essentially
+orphaned and it's unlikely it will compile without a lot of work. If
+you want an MS Windows versin of XEmacs that supports X, use the Cygwin
+version. (The X support there is actively maintained, so that Windows
+developers can test the X support in XEmacs.)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.3.2, Next: Q2.3.3, Prev: Q2.3.1, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.3.2: What compiler/libraries do I need to compile XEmacs?
+------------------------------------------------------------
+
+You need Visual C++ 4.2, 5.0, or 6.0 for the native version. (We have
+some beta testers currently trying to compile with VC.NET, aka version
+7.0, but we can't yet report complete success.) For the Cygwin and
+MinGW versions, you need the Cygwin environment, which comes with GCC,
+the compiler used for those versions. *Note What are Cygwin and MinGW:
+Q1.2.5, for more information on Cygwin and MinGW.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.3.3, Next: Q2.3.4, Prev: Q2.3.2, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.3.3: How do I compile the native port?
+-----------------------------------------
+
+Please read the file `nt/README' in the XEmacs distribution, which
+contains the full description.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.3.4, Next: Q2.3.5, Prev: Q2.3.3, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.3.4: What do I need for Cygwin?
+----------------------------------
+
+You can find the Cygwin tools and compiler at:
+
+ `http://www.cygwin.com/'
+
+ Click on the `Install or update now!' link, which will download a
+file `setup.exe', which you can use to download everything else. (You
+will need to pick a mirror site; `mirrors.rcn.net' is probably the
+best.) You should go ahead and install everything - you'll get various
+ancillary libraries that XEmacs needs or likes, e.g. XPM, PNG, JPEG,
+TIFF, etc. You can also get X Windows here, if you want to compile
+under X.
+
+ If you want to compile without X, you will need the `xpm-nox'
+library, which must be specifically selected in the Cygwin netinstaller;
+it is not selected by default. The package has had various names.
+Currently it is called `cygXpm-noX4.dll'.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.3.5, Next: Q2.3.6, Prev: Q2.3.4, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.3.5: How do I compile under Cygwin?
+--------------------------------------
+
+Similar as on Unix; use the usual `configure' and `make' process. Some
+problems to watch out for:
+
+ * make sure HOME is set. This controls where you `init.el' file
+ comes from;
+
+ * `CYGWIN' needs to be set to `tty' for process support to work;
+
+ * picking up some other grep or other UNIX-like tools can kill
+ configure;
+
+ * static heap too small, adjust `src/sheap-adjust.h' to a more
+ positive number;
+
+ * (Unconfirmed) The Cygwin version doesn't understand
+ `//machine/path' type paths so you will need to manually mount a
+ directory of this form under a unix style directory for a build to
+ work on the directory;
+
+ * If you're building *WITHOUT* X11, don't forget to change symlinks
+ `/usr/lib/libXpm.a' and `/usr/lib/libXpm.dll.a' to point to the
+ non-X versions of these libraries. By default they point to the X
+ versions. So:
+
+ /usr/lib/libXpm.a -> /usr/lib/libXpm-noX.a
+ /usr/lib/libXpm.dll.a -> /usr/lib/libXpm-noX.dll.a
+
+ (This advice may now be obsolete because of the availability of the
+ cygXpm-noX4.dll package from Cygwin. Send confirmation to
+ <faq@xemacs.org>.)
+
+ * Other problems are listed in the `PROBLEMS' file, in the top-level
+ directory of the XEmacs sources.
+
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.3.6, Next: Q2.3.7, Prev: Q2.3.5, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.3.6: How do I compile using MinGW (aka `the -mno-cygwin flag to gcc')?
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Similar to the method for Unix. Things to remember:
+
+ * Specify the target host on the command line for `./configure', e.g.
+ `./configure i586-pc-mingw32'.
+
+ * Be sure that your build directory is mounted such that it has the
+ same path either as a cygwin path (`/build/xemacs') or as a Windows
+ path (`c:\build\xemacs').
+
+ * Build `gcc -mno-cygwin' versions of the extra libs, i.e. `libpng',
+ `compface', etc.
+
+ * Specify the target location of the extra libs on the command line
+ to `configure', e.g.for 21.4 or earlier `./configure
+ --site-prefixes=/build/libs i586-pc-mingw32' and for 21.5 or later
+ `./configure --with-site-prefixes=/build/libs i586-pc-mingw32'.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.3.7, Next: Q2.3.8, Prev: Q2.3.6, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.3.7: How do I compile with X support?
+----------------------------------------
+
+To compile under Cygwin, all you need to do is install XFree86, which
+is available as part of the standard Cygwin installation.
+`http://www.cygwin.com/'. Once installed, `configure' should
+automatically find the X libraries and compile with X support.
+
+ As noted above, the non-Cygwin X support is basically orphaned, and
+probably won't work. But if it want to try, it's described in
+`nt/README' in some detail. Basically, you need to get X11 libraries
+from `http://ftp.x.org', and compile them. If the precompiled versions
+are available somewhere, we don't know of it.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.3.8, Next: Q2.4.1, Prev: Q2.3.7, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.3.8: Cygwin XEmacs won't start - cygXpm-noX4.dll was not found (NEW)
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+The Cygwin binary distributed with the netinstaller uses an external DLL
+to handle XPM images (such as toolbar buttons). You may get an error
+like
+
+ This application has failed to start because cygXpm-noX4.dll was not found.
+ Re-installing the application may fix this problem.
+
+ Andy Piper <andy@xemacs.org> sez:
+
+ cygXpm-noX4 is part of the cygwin distribution under libraries or
+ graphics, but is not installed by default. You need to run the
+ cygwin setup again and select this package.
+
+ Ie, reinstalling XEmacs won't help because it is not part of the
+XEmacs distribution.
+
+2.4: General Troubleshooting
+============================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.4.1, Next: Q2.4.2, Prev: Q2.3.8, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.4.1: How do I deal with bugs or with problems building, installing, or running?
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+The file `PROBLEMS' contains information on many common problems that
+occur in building, installing and running XEmacs.
+
+ Reports of bugs in XEmacs should be sent to
+<xemacs-beta@xemacs.org>. You can also post to the newsgroup
+comp.emacs.xemacs (or equivalentlt, send to the mailing list
+<xemacs@xemacs.org>), but it is less likely that the developers will
+see it in a timely fashion. *Note Bugs: (xemacs)Bugs, for more
+information on how to report bugs. *Note Q1.4.2::, for more
+information on mailing lists relating to XEmacs.
+
+ There are three ways to read the Bugs section.
+
+ 1. In a printed copy of the XEmacs manual.
+
+ 2. With Info. First, start XEmacs. From the menu, select
+ `Help->Info (Online Docs)->Info Contents' to enter Info, then
+ click on `XEmacs', then on `Bugs'. Or, use the keyboard: do `C-h
+ i' to enter Info, then `m XEmacs RET' to get to the Emacs manual,
+ then `m Bugs RET' to get to the section on bugs. Or use
+ standalone Info in a like manner. (Standalone Info is part of the
+ Texinfo distribution, not part of the XEmacs distribution.)
+
+ 3. By hand. Do
+ cat info/xemacs* | more "+/^File: xemacs.info, Node: Bugs,"
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.4.2, Next: Q2.4.3, Prev: Q2.4.1, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.4.2: Help! XEmacs just crashed on me!
+-----------------------------------------
+
+First of all, don't panic. Whenever XEmacs crashes, it tries extremely
+hard to auto-save all of your files before dying. (The main time that
+this will not happen is if the machine physically lost power or if you
+killed the XEmacs process using `kill -9'). The next time you try to
+edit those files, you will be informed that a more recent auto-save
+file exists. You can use `M-x recover-file' to retrieve the auto-saved
+version of the file.
+
+ You can use the command `M-x recover-session' after a crash to pick
+up where you left off.
+
+ Now, XEmacs is not perfect, and there may occasionally be times, or
+particular sequences of actions, that cause it to crash. If you can
+come up with a reproducible way of doing this (or even if you have a
+pretty good memory of exactly what you were doing at the time), the
+maintainers would be very interested in knowing about it. The best way
+to report a bug is using `M-x report-emacs-bug' (or by selecting `Send
+Bug Report...' from the Help menu). If that won't work (e.g. you can't
+get XEmacs working at all), send ordinary mail to
+<xemacs-beta@xemacs.org>. _MAKE SURE_ to include the output from the
+crash, especially including the Lisp backtrace, as well as the XEmacs
+configuration from `M-x describe-installation' (or equivalently, the
+file `Installation' in the top of the build tree). Note that the
+developers do _not_ usually follow `comp.emacs.xemacs' on a regular
+basis; thus, this is better for general questions about XEmacs than bug
+reports.
+
+ If at all possible, include a C stack backtrace of the core dump that
+was produced. This shows where exactly things went wrong, and makes it
+much easier to diagnose problems. To do this under Unix and Mac OS X,
+you need to locate the core file (it's called `core', and is usually
+sitting in the directory that you started XEmacs from, or your home
+directory if that other directory was not writable). Then, go to that
+directory and execute a command like:
+
+ gdb `which xemacs` core
+
+ and then issue the command `where' to get the stack backtrace. You
+might have to use `dbx' or some similar debugger in place of `gdb'. If
+you don't have any such debugger available, complain to your system
+administrator.
+
+ It's possible that a core file didn't get produced or the stack trace
+from gdb is garbage, in which case you're out of luck unless you can
+reproduce the bug. A nonexistent core file can happen in some
+circumstances on some operating systems, depending on what exactly
+triggered the crash. It's also possible, however, that your limits are
+set to turn them off. You may be able to reenable them using a command
+like `unlimit coredumpsize' or `ulimit -c'. (To find out how your
+limits are set, use the command `limit'.) However, if you didn't
+explicitly set your limits this way, go complain to your system
+administrator and tell him not to disable core files by default.
+
+ A garbaged stack trace can happen for various reasons. Some versions
+of gdb are broken on certain operating systems and aren't able to read
+the core file. It's also possible that the stack got overwritten
+during the crash. A very simple reason, however, is that your version
+of XEmacs was compiled without debugging information or had the
+debugging information stripped. A compilation with optimization can
+also result in partly or completely garbaged stack trace. In such
+cases, you will need to recompile XEmacs with debugging information and
+without optimization; *Note How to debug an XEmacs problem with a
+debugger: Q2.4.4. Note also that core files currently don't work at
+all under Cygwin, and the only way to get a backtrace is to run XEmacs
+from gdb.
+
+ If you cannot get a backtrace from the core dump, but can reproduce
+the problem, try running XEmacs under gdb. The goal is to get clean C
+and Lisp backtraces and submit a bug report including full
+configuration information as described above, as this will greatly
+assist in the process of tracking down the bug. However, even partial
+information is better than none. The process of getting backtraces
+from gdb is described in detail in *Note How to debug an XEmacs problem
+with a debugger: Q2.4.4.
+
+ If you're under Microsoft Windows, you're out of luck unless you
+happen to have a debugging aid installed on your system, for example
+Visual C++. In this case, the crash will result in a message giving
+you the option to enter a debugger (for example, by pressing `Cancel').
+Do this and locate the stack-trace window. (If your XEmacs was built
+without debugging information, the stack trace may not be very useful.)
+
+ When making a problem report make sure that:
+
+ 1. Report *all* of the information output by XEmacs during the crash.
+
+ 2. You mention what O/S and Hardware you are running XEmacs on.
+
+ 3. What version of XEmacs you are running.
+
+ 4. What build options you are using.
+
+ 5. If the problem is related to graphics and you are running Unix or
+ Mac OS X, we will also need to know what version of the X Window
+ System you are running, and what window manager you are using.
+
+ 6. If the problem happened on a TTY, please include the terminal type.
+
+ 7. Try very hard to get both C and Lisp backtraces, as described
+ above.
+
+ Much of the information above is automatically generated by `M-x
+report-emacs-bug'. Even more, and often useful, information can be
+generated by redirecting the output of `make' and `make check' to a
+file (`beta.err' is the default used by `build-report'), and executing
+`M-x build-report'.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.4.3, Next: Q2.4.4, Prev: Q2.4.2, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.4.3: XEmacs crashes and I compiled it myself.
+------------------------------------------------
+
+There have been a variety of reports of crashes due to compilers with
+buggy optimizers. If you are compiling with optimization, consider
+turning it off (*note How to debug an XEmacs problem with a debugger:
+Q2.4.4.) and recompiling.
+
+ Please see the `PROBLEMS' file that comes with XEmacs (it's in the
+top-level source directory) to read what it says about your platform.
+
+ If you compiled XEmacs 21.4 or ealier using `--use-union-type', or
+21.5 or later using `--enable-union-type' (or in either case used the
+option `USE_UNION_TYPE' in `config.inc' under Windows), try recompiling
+again without it. The union type has been known to trigger compiler
+errors in a number of cases.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.4.4, Next: Q2.4.5, Prev: Q2.4.3, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.4.4: How to debug an XEmacs problem with a debugger
+------------------------------------------------------
+
+If XEmacs does crash on you, one of the most productive things you can
+do to help get the bug fixed is to poke around a bit with the debugger.
+Here are some hints:
+
+ * First of all, if the crash is at all reproducible, consider very
+ strongly recompiling your XEmacs with debugging symbols and with no
+ optimization (e.g. with GCC use the compiler flags `-g -O0' -
+ that's an "oh" followed by a zero), and with the configure options
+ `--debug=yes' and `--error-checking=all' (`--enable-debug=yes' and
+ `--enable-error-checking=all' on XEmacs 21.5 or later). This will
+ make your XEmacs run somewhat slower, but you are a lot more
+ likely to catch the problem earlier (closer to its source). It
+ makes it a lot easier to determine what's going on with a
+ debugger. The way to control the compiler flags is with the
+ configuration option `--cflags' (`--with-cflags' in 21.5). If you
+ have a recent version of 21.5, you should use
+ `--without-optimization' in preference to directly setting
+ `--cflags'.
+
+ * If it's not a true crash (_i.e._, XEmacs is hung, or a zombie
+ process), or it's inconvenient to run XEmacs again because XEmacs
+ is already running or is running in batch mode as part of a bunch
+ of scripts, you may be able to attach to the existing process with
+ your debugger. Under Unix and Mac OS X, the typical way to do
+ this is to first use some variant of the `ps' command to figure
+ out the process ID of XEmacs, for example `ps -auxww | grep
+ xemacs' under a BSD variant, `ps -elf | grep xemacs' under Linux
+ or System V, or `ps -aW | grep xemacs' under Cygwin. Then run
+
+ gdb /path/to/xemacs/xemacs ####
+
+ Where `####' is the process id of your XEmacs. (If you're not
+ sure, try using `which xemacs'.) When gdb attaches, the xemacs
+ will stop and you can type `where' in gdb to get a stack trace as
+ usual. To get things moving again, you can just type `quit' in
+ gdb. It'll tell you the program is running and ask if you want to
+ quit anyways. Say `y' and it'll quit and have your emacs continue
+ from where it was at.
+
+ If you're running another debugger, a similar method may work, or
+ you may have to run the debugger first and then use the `attach'
+ command or something similar.
+
+ Under Microsoft Windows, use the menu item `Build->Start
+ Debug->Attach to Process...' and select the XEmacs process from
+ the list given.
+
+ * If you're able to run XEmacs under a debugger and reproduce the
+ crash, here are some things you can do:
+
+ * If XEmacs is hitting an assertion failure, put a breakpoint on
+ `assert_failed()'.
+
+ * If XEmacs is hitting some weird Lisp error that's causing it to
+ crash (e.g. during startup), put a breakpoint on
+ `signal_1()'--this is declared static in `eval.c'.
+
+ * If XEmacs is outputting lots of X errors, put a breakpoint on
+ `x_error_handler()'; that will tell you which call is causing
+ them. Note that the result may not be very useful by default
+ because X Windows normally operates asynchronously: A bunch of
+ commands are buffered up and then sent to the server all at once.
+ This greatly improves performance over a network but means that an
+ error may not be reported until the server receives the commands,
+ which can be long after XEmacs made the erroneous calls. For best
+ results, you need to make the X server synchronous before getting
+ the backtrace. This can be done by starting XEmacs with the
+ `-sync' option or executing the Lisp code `(x-debug-mode t)'.
+
+ * Internally, you will probably see lots of variables that hold
+ objects of type `Lisp_Object'. These are references to Lisp
+ objects. Printing them out with the debugger probably won't be too
+ useful--you'll likely just see a number. To decode them, do this:
+
+ call debug_print (OBJECT)
+
+ where OBJECT is whatever you want to decode (it can be a variable,
+ a function call, etc.). This uses the Lisp printing routines to
+ out a readable representation on the TTY from which the xemacs
+ process was invoked.
+
+ Under 21.5 and later, `dp' is defined as an easier-to-type
+ equivalent of `debug_print'. You can also try `dpa' if you can't
+ see the output from `debug_print' (this will return a string
+ containing the output), or use `debug_p3' if `debug_print' itself
+ triggers a crash (this is a less comprehensive but super-safe way
+ to print out a Lisp object).
+
+ * If you want to get a Lisp backtrace showing the Lisp call stack,
+ do this:
+
+ call debug_backtrace ()
+
+ Under 21.5 and later, `db' is defined as an easier-to-type
+ equivalent of `debug_backtrace'.
+
+ * Using `debug_print' and `debug_backtrace' has two disadvantages -
+ they can only be used with a running (including hung or zombie)
+ xemacs process, and they do not display the internal C structure
+ of a Lisp Object. Even if all you've got is a core dump, all is
+ not lost.
+
+ If you're using GDB, there are some macros in the file
+ `src/.gdbinit' in the XEmacs source distribution that should make
+ it easier for you to decode Lisp objects. This file is
+ automatically read by gdb if gdb is run in the directory where
+ xemacs was built, and contains these useful macros to inspect the
+ state of xemacs:
+
+ `pobj'
+ Usage: pobj lisp_object
+ Print the internal C representation of a lisp object.
+
+ `xtype'
+ Usage: xtype lisp_object
+ Print the Lisp type of a lisp object.
+
+ `lbt'
+ Usage: lbt
+ Print the current Lisp stack trace. Requires a running
+ xemacs process. (It works by calling the db routine
+ described above.)
+
+ `ldp'
+ Usage: ldp lisp_object
+ Print a Lisp Object value using the Lisp printer. Requires a
+ running xemacs process. (It works by calling the dp routine
+ described above.)
+
+ `run-temacs'
+ Usage: run-temacs
+ Run temacs interactively, like xemacs. Use this with
+ debugging tools (like purify) that cannot deal with dumping,
+ or when temacs builds successfully, but xemacs does not.
+
+ `dump-temacs'
+ Usage: dump-temacs
+ Run the dumping part of the build procedure. Use when
+ debugging temacs, not xemacs! Use this when temacs builds
+ successfully, but xemacs does not.
+
+ `check-xemacs'
+ Usage: check-xemacs
+ Run the test suite. Equivalent to 'make check'.
+
+ `check-temacs'
+ Usage: check-temacs
+ Run the test suite on temacs. Equivalent to 'make
+ check-temacs'. Use this with debugging tools (like purify)
+ that cannot deal with dumping, or when temacs builds
+ successfully, but xemacs does not.
+
+ If you are using Sun's `dbx' debugger, there is an equivalent file
+ `src/.dbxrc', which defines the same commands for dbx.
+
+ * If you're using a debugger to get a C stack backtrace and you're
+ seeing stack traces with some of the innermost frames mangled, it
+ may be due to dynamic linking. (This happens especially under
+ Linux.) Consider reconfiguring with `--dynamic=no'
+ (`--with-dynamic=no' in 21.5 or later). Also, sometimes (again
+ under Linux), stack backtraces of core dumps will have the frame
+ where the fatal signal occurred mangled; if you can obtain a stack
+ trace while running the XEmacs process under a debugger, the stack
+ trace should be clean.
+
+ Curtiss <1CMC3466@ibm.mtsac.edu> suggests upgrading to ld.so
+ version 1.8 if dynamic linking and debugging is a problem on Linux.
+
+ * If you're using a debugger to get a C stack backtrace and you're
+ getting a completely mangled and bogus stack trace, it's probably
+ due to one of the following:
+
+ a. Your executable has been stripped. Bad news. Tell your
+ sysadmin not to do this--it doesn't accomplish anything
+ except to save a bit of disk space, and makes debugging much
+ much harder.
+
+ b. Your stack is getting trashed. Debugging this is hard; you
+ have to do a binary-search type of narrowing down where the
+ crash occurs, until you figure out exactly which line is
+ causing the problem. Of course, this only works if the bug
+ is highly reproducible. Also, in many cases if you run
+ XEmacs from the debugger, the debugger can protect the stack
+ somewhat. However, if the stack is being smashed, it is
+ typically the case that there is a wild pointer somewhere in
+ the program, often quite far from where the crash occurs.
+
+ c. If your stack trace has exactly one frame in it, with address
+ 0x0, this could simply mean that XEmacs attempted to execute
+ code at that address, e.g. through jumping to a null function
+ pointer. Unfortunately, under those circumstances, GDB under
+ Linux doesn't know how to get a stack trace. (Yes, this is
+ the fourth Linux-related problem I've mentioned. I have no
+ idea why GDB under Linux is so bogus. Complain to the GDB
+ authors, or to comp.os.linux.development.system.) Again,
+ you'll have to use the narrowing-down process described above.
+
+ d. You will get a Lisp backtrace output when XEmacs crashes, so
+ you'll have something useful.
+
+
+ * If you compile with the newer gcc variants gcc-2.8 or egcs, you
+ will also need gdb 4.17 or above. Earlier releases of gdb can't
+ handle the debug information generated by the newer compilers.
+
+ * In versions of XEmacs before 21.2.27, `src/.gdbinit' was named
+ `src/gdbinit'. This had the disadvantage of not being sourced
+ automatically by gdb, so you had to set that up yourself.
+
+ * If you are running Microsoft Windows, the the file `nt/README' for
+ further information about debugging XEmacs.
+
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.4.5, Next: Q2.4.6, Prev: Q2.4.4, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.4.5: I get a cryptic error message when trying to do something.
+------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+When I try to use some particular option of some particular package, I
+get a cryptic error message in the minibuffer.
+
+ If the message went by too quickly, use `Help->Recent Messages' from
+the menubar (or type `C-h l') to see recent messages.
+
+ If you can't figure out what's going on, select
+`Options->Troubleshooting->Debug on Error' from the menubar (or type
+`M-:' then `(setq debug-on-error t)') then try and make the error
+happen again. This will put in the debugger (you can get out of this
+and continue what you were doing before by typing `c') and give you a
+backtrace that may be enlightening. If not, try reading through this
+FAQ; if that fails, you could try posting to `comp.emacs.xemacs'
+(making sure to include the backtrace) and someone may be able to help.
+If you can identify which XEmacs Lisp source file the error is coming
+from you can get a more detailed stack backtrace by doing the following:
+
+ 1. Visit the .el file in an XEmacs buffer.
+
+ 2. Issue the command `M-x eval-current-buffer'.
+
+ 3. Reproduce the error.
+
+ For more information on debugging Lisp code, *Note Debugging:
+(lispref)Debugging.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.4.6, Next: Q2.4.7, Prev: Q2.4.5, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.4.6: XEmacs hangs when I try to do something.
+------------------------------------------------
+
+XEmacs might just be slow; some operations take a long time. XEmacs
+may also be waiting on a response from the network, for example when
+you are trying to send mail.
+
+ You can usually interrupt XEmacs by typing `C-g'. If not (for
+example, Lisp code explicitly disabled this by setting `inhibit-quit'),
+you can use the "critical quit" mechanism by typing `Control-Shift-G'.
+This should also pop you into the debugger and give you a backtrace,
+which can tell you where the problem is (*note How to debug an XEmacs
+problem with a debugger: Q2.4.4.). (Note that setting `debug-on-quit'
+or selecting `Options->Troubleshooting->Debug on Quit' will also cause
+regular `C-g' to enter the debugger and give you a backtrace.)
+
+ If you can't interrupt XEmacs this way, or for some reason XEmacs is
+not talking to the keyboard, you can try sending the `SIGINT' signal
+using the `kill' command.
+
+ If the Lisp backtrace isn't enlightening, or if XEmacs is so hung
+that you can't interrupt it at all, you could try attaching to the
+process and getting a C stack backtrace. *Note How to debug an XEmacs
+problem with a debugger: Q2.4.4.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.4.7, Next: Q2.4.8, Prev: Q2.4.6, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.4.7: I get an error message when XEmacs is running in batch mode.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Typically this happens when you are trying to compile some Elisp code.
+If you are doing this as part of XEmacs or the XEmacs packages, you
+should automatically get a backtrace, which can help you determine the
+source of the problem. In other cases, you can get equivalent results
+by setting the environment variable `XEMACSDEBUG' to `(setq
+stack-trace-on-error t load-always-display-messages t
+load-ignore-out-of-date-elc-files t load-show-full-path-in-messages t)'
+(this needs to be all on one line; to set an environment variable, use
+`export XEMACSDEBUG='FOO'' under `bash', `zsh', etc. or `setenv
+XEMACSDEBUG 'FOO'' under `csh' and `tcsh'). `XEMACSDEBUG' specifies
+Lisp code that will be executed at startup time.
+
+ If the backtrace is not sufficiently useful in helping you diagnose
+the problem, you should consider using a debugger such as GDB. *Note
+How to debug an XEmacs problem with a debugger: Q2.4.4. You probably
+want to set a breakpoint on `signal_1'. Since such errors often occur
+during compiling, which is often triggered by a complex command run
+from a make suite, it may be easier to attach to the process once it's
+running.
+
+ Under Microsoft Windows (and perhaps other operating systems), there
+is another useful trick you can do if you have configured with debugging
+support (configure option `--debug' (`--with-debug' in 21.5) or setting
+`DEBUG_XEMACS' in `nt/config.inc'). Set the environment variable
+`XEMACSDEBUG' (as described above) to `(setq debug-on-error t)'. Then,
+when an error occurs noninteractively, instead of trying to invoke the
+Lisp debugger (which obviously won't work), XEmacs will break out to a
+C debugger using `(force-debugging-signal t)'. _NOTE_: This runs
+`abort()'!!! (As well as and after executing INT 3 under MS Windows,
+which should invoke a debugger if it's active.) This is guaranteed to
+kill XEmacs! (But in this situation, XEmacs is about to die anyway, and
+if no debugger is present, this will usefully dump core.)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.4.8, Next: Q2.4.9, Prev: Q2.4.7, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.4.8: The keyboard or mouse is not working properly, or I have some other event-related problem.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+XEmacs has various facilities for debugging event handling.
+
+ First, try setting the variable `debug-emacs-events' to non-zero.
+This will output various information showing which events are being
+received and how they are being translated. This may show you, for
+example, that a key command is getting intercepted using
+`key-translation-map'; this problem can otherwise be very tricky to
+debug.
+
+ Under X, you can see exactly which events are being received from the
+window system by setting `x-debug-events' to non-zero. (The value `1'
+gives you regular output, and `2' gives you verbose output, including
+all parameters.)
+
+ A similar facility exists under MS Windows: Set
+`debug-mswindows-events' to non-zero. (The value `1' gives you regular
+output. The value `2' gives you verbose output, including all
+parameters. The value `3' gives you super-gorily-detailed output.)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.4.9, Next: Q2.4.10, Prev: Q2.4.8, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.4.9: `C-g' doesn't work for me. Is it broken?
+-------------------------------------------------
+
+`C-g' does work for most people in most circumstances. If it doesn't,
+there are two possible explanations:
+
+ 1. XEmacs is hung in a way that prevents `C-g' from working. This
+ can happen when code is wrapped with a binding of `inhibit-quit'
+ to `t'; you should still be able interrupt XEmacs using "critical
+ quit". On the other hand, XEmacs may be seriously wedged. (If
+ you're lucky, sending `SIGINT' to the XEmacs process will
+ interrupt it.) *Note XEmacs hangs when I try to do something.:
+ Q2.4.6.
+
+ 2. `C-g' is indeed broken on your system. To test, try executing
+ `(while t)' from the `*scratch*' buffer. If `C-g' doesn't
+ interrupt, then it's broken. This used to happen with systems
+ where `SIGIO' was broken, but `BROKEN_SIGIO' wasn't defined.
+ However, there may not be very many such systems nowadays.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.4.10, Next: Q2.4.11, Prev: Q2.4.9, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.4.10: How do I debug process-related problems?
+-------------------------------------------------
+
+Under MS Windows, you can set the variable
+`debug-mswindows-process-command-lines' to non-`nil' to get information
+on exactly what is getting passed to a process. This can be useful in
+determining problems with quoting. (Under Unix, a process receives each
+argument separately, but under MS Windows a single command line is
+received, and arguments with spaces or other special characters in them
+must be quoted. Unfortunately this means that each process,
+potentially at least, has its own quoting conventions, and the code to
+process quoting conventions in `cmd.exe', the Visual C++ startup code
+and the like is baroque and poorly documented. XEmacs uses the variable
+`mswindows-construct-process-command-line-alist' to construct a command
+line from a list of arguments based on the command to be run, but it is
+(and cannot be) a perfect solution.)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.4.11, Next: Q2.4.12, Prev: Q2.4.10, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.4.11: XEmacs is outputting lots of X errors.
+-----------------------------------------------
+
+If this is happening, we would very much like to know what's causing
+them. To find this out, see *Note How to debug an XEmacs problem with
+a debugger: Q2.4.4. Try to get both a C and Lisp backtrace, and send
+them along with the full error output to <xemacs-beta@xemacs.org>.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.4.12, Next: Q2.5.1, Prev: Q2.4.11, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.4.12: After upgrading, XEmacs won't do `foo' any more!
+---------------------------------------------------------
+
+You have been used to doing `foo', but now when you invoke it (or click
+the toolbar button or select the menu item), nothing (or an error)
+happens. The simplest explanation is that you are missing a package
+that is essential to you. You can either track it down and install it
+(there is a list of packages and brief descriptions of their contents
+in `etc/PACKAGES'), or install the `Sumo Tarball' (*note How do I
+figure out which packages to install?: Q2.1.2.).
+
+2.5: Startup-Related Problems
+=============================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.5.1, Next: Q2.5.2, Prev: Q2.4.12, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.5.1: XEmacs cannot connect to my X Terminal!
+-----------------------------------------------
+
+Help! I can not get XEmacs to display on my Envizex X-terminal!
+
+ Try setting the `DISPLAY' variable using the numeric IP address of
+the host you are running XEmacs from.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.5.2, Next: Q2.5.3, Prev: Q2.5.1, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.5.2 Startup problems related to paths or package locations.
+--------------------------------------------------------------
+
+First of all, if XEmacs can't find the packages, check to make sure
+that you put the packages in the right place, or that you told XEmacs
+where to look for the packages when you compiled it. *Note Q2.1.1::.
+
+ If something is still going wrong, or you get a startup warning about
+not being able to deduce some paths, you can get detailed information
+on the path-searching process at startup by setting the environment
+variable `EMACSDEBUGPATHS' to a non-null value. One thing to look for
+if you're having package problems is the value of
+`configure-package-path'. This corresponds to what was compiled into
+XEmacs using the `--package-prefix' or `--package-path' parameter
+(*note Q2.1.1::). If this has the value of `nil', this means that no
+value was compiled into XEmacs using these parameters.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.5.3, Next: Q2.5.4, Prev: Q2.5.2, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.5.3: XEmacs won't start without network.
+-------------------------------------------
+
+If XEmacs starts when you're on the network, but fails when you're not
+on the network, you may be missing a "localhost" entry in your
+`/etc/hosts' file. The file should contain an entry like:
+
+ 127.0.0.1 localhost
+
+ Add that line, and XEmacs will be happy.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.5.4, Next: Q2.5.5, Prev: Q2.5.3, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.5.4: Startup warnings about deducing proper fonts?
+-----------------------------------------------------
+
+How can I avoid the startup warnings about deducing proper fonts?
+
+ This is highly dependent on your installation, but try with the
+following font as your base font for XEmacs and see what it does:
+
+-adobe-courier-medium-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-*-*-iso8859-1
+
+ More precisely, do the following in your resource file:
+
+Emacs.default.attributeFont: \
+-adobe-courier-medium-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-*-*-iso8859-1
+
+ If you just don't want to see the `*Warnings*' buffer at startup
+time, you can set this:
+
+ (setq display-warning-minimum-level 'error)
+
+ The buffer still exists; it just isn't in your face.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.5.5, Next: Q2.5.6, Prev: Q2.5.4, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.5.5: Warnings from incorrect key modifiers.
+----------------------------------------------
+
+The following information comes from the `PROBLEMS' file that comes
+with XEmacs.
+
+ If you're having troubles with HP/UX it is because HP/UX defines the
+modifiers wrong in X. Here is a shell script to fix the problem; be
+sure that it is run after VUE configures the X server.
+
+ #! /bin/sh
+ xmodmap 2> /dev/null - << EOF
+ keysym Alt_L = Meta_L
+ keysym Alt_R = Meta_R
+ EOF
+
+ xmodmap - << EOF
+ clear mod1
+ keysym Mode_switch = NoSymbol
+ add mod1 = Meta_L
+ keysym Meta_R = Mode_switch
+ add mod2 = Mode_switch
+ EOF
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q2.5.6, Prev: Q2.5.5, Up: Installation
+
+Q2.5.6: XEmacs 21.1 on Windows used to spawn an ugly console window on every startup. Has that been fixed?
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Yes.
+
+ The console was there because `temacs' (and in turn, `xemacs') was a
+console application, and Windows typically creates a new console for a
+console process unless the creating process requests that one isn't
+created. This used to be fixed with `runemacs', a small Windows
+application that existed merely to start `xemacs', stating that it
+didn't want a console.
+
+ XEmacs 21.4 fixes this cleanly by the virtue of being a true "GUI"
+application. The explanation of what that means is included for
+educational value.
+
+ When building an application to be run in a Win32 environment, you
+must state which sub-system it is to run in. Valid subsystems include
+"console" and "gui". The subsystem you use affects the run time
+libraries linked into your application, the start up function that is
+run before control is handed over to your application, the entry point
+to your program, and how Windows normally invokes your program. (Console
+programs automatically get a console created for them at startup if
+their stdin/stdout don't point anywhere useful, which is the case when
+run from the GUI. This is a stupid design, of course - instead, the
+console should get created only when the first I/O actually occurs!
+GUI programs have an equally stupid design: When called from
+`CMD.EXE'/`COMMAND.COM', their stdin/stdout will be set to point
+nowhere useful, even though the command shell has its own stdin/stdout.
+It's as if someone who had learned a bit about stdio but had no actual
+knowledge of interprocess communication designed the scheme;
+unfortunately, the whole process-communication aspect of the Win32 API
+is equally badly designed.) For example, the entry point for a console
+app is "main" (which is what you'd expect for a C/C++ program), but the
+entry point for a "gui" app is "WinMain". This confuses and annoys a
+lot of programmers who've grown up on Unix systems, where the kernel
+doesn't really care whether your application is a gui program or not.
+
+ For reasons not altogether clear, and are lost in the mists of time
+and tradition, XEmacs on Win32 started out as a console application, and
+therefore a console was automatically created for it. (It may have been
+made a console application partly because a console is needed in some
+circumstances, especially under Win95, to interrupt, terminate, or send
+signals to a child process, and because of the bogosity mentioned above
+with GUI programs and the standard command shell. Currently, XEmacs
+just creates and immediately hides a console when necessary, and works
+around the "no useful stdio" problem by creating its own console window
+as necessary to display messages in.)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Editing, Next: Display, Prev: Installation, Up: Top
+
+3 Editing Functions
+*******************
+
+This is part 3 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
+section is devoted to the editing-related capabilities of XEmacs (the
+keyboard, mouse, buffers, text selections, etc.) and how to customize
+them.
+
+* Menu:
+
+3.0: The Keyboard
+* Q3.0.1:: How can I customize the keyboard?
+* Q3.0.2:: How can I bind complex functions (or macros) to keys?
+* Q3.0.3:: How do I bind C-. and C-; to scroll one line up and down?
+* Q3.0.4:: Globally binding Delete?
+* Q3.0.5:: How to map Help key alone on Sun type4 keyboard?
+* Q3.0.6:: How can you type in special characters in XEmacs?
+* Q3.0.7:: Can I turn on "sticky" modifier keys?
+* Q3.0.8:: How do I map the arrow keys?
+* Q3.0.9:: HP Alt key as Meta.
+* Q3.0.10:: Why does edt emulation not work?
+* Q3.0.11:: How can I emulate VI and use it as my default mode?
+
+3.1: The Mouse
+* Q3.1.1:: How can I turn off Mouse pasting?
+* Q3.1.2:: How do I set control/meta/etc modifiers on mouse buttons?
+* Q3.1.3:: Clicking the left button does not do anything in buffer list.
+* Q3.1.4:: How can I get a list of buffers when I hit mouse button 3?
+* Q3.1.5:: How can I set XEmacs up so that it pastes where the text cursor is?
+
+3.2: Buffers, Text Editing
+* Q3.2.1:: Can I have the end of the buffer delimited in some way?
+* Q3.2.2:: How do I insert today's date into a buffer?
+* Q3.2.3:: How do I get a single minibuffer frame?
+* Q3.2.4:: How can I enable auto-indent and/or Filladapt?
+* Q3.2.5:: How can I get XEmacs to come up in text/auto-fill mode by default?
+
+3.3: Text Selections
+* Q3.3.1:: How do I select a rectangular region?
+* Q3.3.2:: How can I turn off or change highlighted selections?
+* Q3.3.3:: How do I cause typing on an active region to remove it?
+* Q3.3.4:: Can I turn off the highlight during isearch?
+* Q3.3.5:: Why is killing so slow?
+* Q3.3.6:: Why does M-w take so long?
+
+3.4: Editing Source Code
+* Q3.4.1:: I do not like cc-mode. How do I use the old c-mode?
+* Q3.4.2:: How do you make XEmacs indent CL if-clauses correctly?
+
+3.0: The Keyboard
+=================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.0.1, Next: Q3.0.2, Prev: Editing, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.0.1: How can I customize the keyboard?
+-----------------------------------------
+
+#### Write me.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.0.2, Next: Q3.0.3, Prev: Q3.0.1, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.0.2: How can I bind complex functions (or macros) to keys?
+-------------------------------------------------------------
+
+As an example, say you want the `paste' key on a Sun keyboard to insert
+the current Primary X selection at point. You can accomplish this with:
+
+ (define-key global-map [f18] 'x-insert-selection)
+
+ However, this only works if there is a current X selection (the
+selection will be highlighted). The functionality I like is for the
+`paste' key to insert the current X selection if there is one,
+otherwise insert the contents of the clipboard. To do this you need to
+pass arguments to `x-insert-selection'. This is done by wrapping the
+call in a 'lambda form:
+
+ (global-set-key [f18]
+ (lambda () (interactive) (x-insert-selection t nil)))
+
+ This binds the f18 key to a "generic" functional object. The
+interactive spec is required because only interactive functions can be
+bound to keys.
+
+ For the FAQ example you could use:
+
+ (global-set-key [(control ?.)]
+ (lambda () (interactive) (scroll-up 1)))
+ (global-set-key [(control ?;)]
+ (lambda () (interactive) (scroll-up -1)))
+
+ This is fine if you only need a few functions within the lambda body.
+If you're doing more it's cleaner to define a separate function. *Note
+How do I bind C-. and C-; to scroll one line up and down?: Q3.0.3.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.0.3, Next: Q3.0.4, Prev: Q3.0.2, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.0.3: How do I bind C-. and C-; to scroll one line up and down?
+-----------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Add the following (Thanks to Richard Mlynarik <mly@adoc.xerox.com> and
+Wayne Newberry <wayne@zen.cac.stratus.com>) to `.emacs':
+
+ (defun scroll-up-one-line ()
+ (interactive)
+ (scroll-up 1))
+
+ (defun scroll-down-one-line ()
+ (interactive)
+ (scroll-down 1))
+
+ (global-set-key [(control ?.)] 'scroll-up-one-line) ; C-.
+ (global-set-key [(control ?;)] 'scroll-down-one-line) ; C-;
+
+ The key point is that you can only bind simple functions to keys; you
+can not bind a key to a function that you're also passing arguments to.
+(*note How can I bind complex functions (or macros) to keys?: Q3.0.2.
+for a better answer).
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.0.4, Next: Q3.0.5, Prev: Q3.0.3, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.0.4: Globally binding `Delete'?
+----------------------------------
+
+I cannot manage to globally bind my `Delete' key to something other
+than the default. How does one do this?
+
+ Answer: The problem is that many modes explicitly bind `Delete'. To
+get around this, try the following:
+
+ (defun foo ()
+ (interactive)
+ (message "You hit DELETE"))
+
+ (define-key key-translation-map 'delete 'redirected-delete)
+ (global-set-key 'redirected-delete 'foo)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.0.5, Next: Q3.0.6, Prev: Q3.0.4, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.0.5: How to map `Help' key alone on Sun type4 keyboard?
+----------------------------------------------------------
+
+The following works in GNU Emacs 19:
+
+ (global-set-key [help] 'help-command);; Help
+
+ The following works in XEmacs with the addition of shift:
+
+ (global-set-key [(shift help)] 'help-command);; Help
+
+ But it doesn't work alone. This is in the file `PROBLEMS' which
+should have come with your XEmacs installation: _Emacs ignores the
+`help' key when running OLWM_.
+
+ OLWM grabs the `help' key, and retransmits it to the appropriate
+client using `XSendEvent'. Allowing Emacs to react to synthetic events
+is a security hole, so this is turned off by default. You can enable
+it by setting the variable `x-allow-sendevents' to t. You can also
+cause fix this by telling OLWM to not grab the help key, with the null
+binding `OpenWindows.KeyboardCommand.Help:'.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.0.6, Next: Q3.0.7, Prev: Q3.0.5, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.0.6: How can you type in special characters in XEmacs?
+---------------------------------------------------------
+
+One way is to use the package `x-compose'. Then you can use sequences
+like `Compose " a' to get ä, etc.
+
+ Another way is to use the `iso-insert' package. Then you can use
+sequences like `C-x 8 " a' to get ä, etc.
+
+ Glynn Clements <glynn@sensei.co.uk> writes:
+
+ It depends upon your X server.
+
+ Generally, the simplest way is to define a key as Multi_key with
+ xmodmap, e.g.
+ xmodmap -e 'keycode 0xff20 = Multi_key'
+
+ You will need to pick an appropriate keycode. Use xev to find out
+ the keycodes for each key.
+
+ [NB: On a `Windows' keyboard, recent versions of XFree86
+ automatically define the right `Windows' key as Multi_key'.]
+
+ Once you have Multi_key defined, you can use e.g.
+ Multi a ' => á
+ Multi e " => ë
+ Multi c , => ç
+
+ etc.
+
+ Also, recent versions of XFree86 define various AltGr-<key>
+ combinations as dead keys, i.e.
+ AltGr [ => dead_diaeresis
+ AltGr ] => dead_tilde
+ AltGr ; => dead_acute
+ etc.
+
+ Running `xmodmap -pk' will list all of the defined keysyms.
+
+ For the related problem of _displaying_ non-ASCII characters in a
+non-Mule XEmacs, *Note How do I display non-ASCII characters?: Q4.0.8.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.0.7, Next: Q3.0.8, Prev: Q3.0.6, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.0.7: Can I turn on "sticky" modifier keys?
+---------------------------------------------
+
+Yes, with `(setq modifier-keys-are-sticky t)'. This will give the
+effect of being able to press and release Shift and have the next
+character typed come out in upper case. This will affect all the other
+modifier keys like Control and Meta as well.
+
+ Ben Wing <ben@xemacs.org> writes:
+
+ One thing about the sticky modifiers is that if you move the mouse
+ out of the frame and back in, it cancels all currently "stuck"
+ modifiers.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.0.8, Next: Q3.0.9, Prev: Q3.0.7, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.0.8: How do I map the arrow keys?
+------------------------------------
+
+Say you want to map `C-<right>' to forward-word:
+
+ Sam Steingold <sds@usa.net> writes:
+
+ ; both XEmacs and Emacs
+ (define-key global-map [(control right)] 'forward-word)
+ or
+ ; Emacs only
+ (define-key global-map [C-right] 'forward-word)
+ or
+ ; ver > 20, both
+ (define-key global-map (kbd "C-<right>") 'forward-word)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.0.9, Next: Q3.0.10, Prev: Q3.0.8, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.0.9: HP Alt key as Meta.
+---------------------------
+
+How can I make XEmacs recognize the Alt key of my HP workstation as a
+Meta key?
+
+ Put the following line into a file and load it with xmodmap(1) before
+starting XEmacs:
+
+ remove Mod1 = Mode_switch
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.0.10, Next: Q3.0.11, Prev: Q3.0.9, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.0.10: Why does edt emulation not work?
+-----------------------------------------
+
+We don't know, but you can use tpu-edt emulation instead, which works
+fine and is a little fancier than the standard edt emulation. To do
+this, add the following line to your `init.el':
+
+ (tpu-edt)
+
+ If you don't want it to replace `C-h' with an edt-style help menu
+add this as well:
+
+ (global-set-key [(control h)] 'help-for-help)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.0.11, Next: Q3.1.1, Prev: Q3.0.10, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.0.11: How can I emulate VI and use it as my default mode?
+------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Our recommended VI emulator is viper. To make viper-mode the default,
+add this to your `init.el':
+
+ (viper-mode)
+
+ Michael Kifer <kifer@CS.SunySB.EDU> writes:
+
+ This should be added as close to the top of `init.el' as you can
+ get it, otherwise some minor modes may not get viper-ized.
+
+3.1: The Mouse
+==============
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.1.1, Next: Q3.1.2, Prev: Q3.0.11, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.1.1: How can I turn off Mouse pasting?
+-----------------------------------------
+
+I keep hitting the middle mouse button by accident and getting stuff
+pasted into my buffer so how can I turn this off?
+
+ Here is an alternative binding, whereby the middle mouse button
+selects (but does not cut) the expression under the mouse. Clicking
+middle on a left or right paren will select to the matching one. Note
+that you can use `define-key' or `global-set-key'.
+
+ (defun mouse-set-point-and-select (event)
+ "Sets the point at the mouse location, then marks following form"
+ (interactive "@e")
+ (mouse-set-point event)
+ (mark-sexp 1))
+ (define-key global-map [button2] 'mouse-set-point-and-select)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.1.2, Next: Q3.1.3, Prev: Q3.1.1, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.1.2: How do I set control/meta/etc modifiers on mouse buttons?
+-----------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Use, for instance, `[(meta button1)]'. For example, here is a common
+setting for Common Lisp programmers who use the bundled `ilisp'
+package, whereby meta-button1 on a function name will find the file
+where the function name was defined, and put you at that location in
+the source file.
+
+ [Inside a function that gets called by the lisp-mode-hook and
+ilisp-mode-hook]
+
+ (local-set-key [(meta button1)] 'edit-definitions-lisp)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.1.3, Next: Q3.1.4, Prev: Q3.1.2, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.1.3: Clicking the left button does not do anything in buffer list.
+---------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+I do `C-x C-b' to get a list of buffers and the entries get highlighted
+when I move the mouse over them but clicking the left mouse does not do
+anything.
+
+ Use the middle mouse button.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.1.4, Next: Q3.1.5, Prev: Q3.1.3, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.1.4: How can I get a list of buffers when I hit mouse button 3?
+------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+The following code will replace the default popup on button3:
+
+ (global-set-key [button3] 'popup-buffer-menu)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.1.5, Next: Q3.2.1, Prev: Q3.1.4, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.1.5: How can I set XEmacs up so that it pastes where the text cursor is?
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+By default XEmacs pastes X selections where the mouse pointer is. How
+do I disable this?
+
+ Examine the function `mouse-yank', by typing `C-h f mouse-yank
+<RET>'.
+
+ To get XEmacs to paste at the text cursor, add this your `init.el':
+
+ (setq mouse-yank-at-point t)
+
+ You can also change this with Customize. Select from the `Options'
+menu `Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Editing->Mouse->Yank At Point...' or
+type `M-x customize <RET> mouse <RET>'.
+
+3.2: Buffers, Text Editing
+==========================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.2.1, Next: Q3.2.2, Prev: Q3.1.5, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.2.1: Can I have the end of the buffer delimited in some way?
+---------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Say, with: `[END]'?
+
+ Try this:
+
+ (let ((ext (make-extent (point-min) (point-max))))
+ (set-extent-property ext 'start-closed t)
+ (set-extent-property ext 'end-closed t)
+ (set-extent-property ext 'detachable nil)
+ (set-extent-end-glyph ext (make-glyph [string :data "[END]"])))
+
+ Since this is XEmacs, you can specify an icon to be shown on
+window-system devices. To do so, change the `make-glyph' call to
+something like this:
+
+ (make-glyph '([xpm :file "~/something.xpm"]
+ [string :data "[END]"]))
+
+ You can inline the XPM definition yourself by specifying `:data'
+instead of `:file'. Here is such a full-featured version that works on
+both X and TTY devices:
+
+ (let ((ext (make-extent (point-min) (point-max))))
+ (set-extent-property ext 'start-closed t)
+ (set-extent-property ext 'end-closed t)
+ (set-extent-property ext 'detachable nil)
+ (set-extent-end-glyph ext (make-glyph '([xpm :data "\
+ /* XPM */
+ static char* eye = {
+ \"20 11 7 2\",
+ \"__ c None\"
+ \"_` c #7f7f7f\",
+ \"_a c #fefefe\",
+ \"_b c #7f0000\",
+ \"_c c #fefe00\",
+ \"_d c #fe0000\",
+ \"_e c #bfbfbf\",
+ \"___________`_`_`___b_b_b_b_________`____\",
+ \"_________`_`_`___b_c_c_c_b_b____________\",
+ \"_____`_`_`_e___b_b_c_c_c___b___b_______`\",
+ \"___`_`_e_a___b_b_d___b___b___b___b______\",
+ \"_`_`_e_a_e___b_b_d_b___b___b___b___b____\",
+ \"_`_`_a_e_a___b_b_d___b___b___b___b___b__\",
+ \"_`_`_e_a_e___b_b_d_b___b___b___b___b_b__\",
+ \"___`_`_e_a___b_b_b_d_c___b___b___d_b____\",
+ \"_____`_`_e_e___b_b_b_d_c___b_b_d_b______\",
+ \"_`_____`_`_`_`___b_b_b_d_d_d_d_b________\",
+ \"___`_____`_`_`_`___b_b_b_b_b_b__________\",
+ } ;"]
+ [string :data "[END]"]))))
+
+ Note that you might want to make this a function, and put it to a
+hook. We leave that as an exercise for the reader.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.2.2, Next: Q3.2.3, Prev: Q3.2.1, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.2.2: How do I insert today's date into a buffer?
+---------------------------------------------------
+
+Like this:
+
+ (insert (current-time-string))
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.2.3, Next: Q3.2.4, Prev: Q3.2.2, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.2.3: How do I get a single minibuffer frame?
+-----------------------------------------------
+
+Vin Shelton <acs@acm.org> writes:
+
+ (setq initial-frame-plist '(minibuffer nil))
+ (setq default-frame-plist '(minibuffer nil))
+ (setq default-minibuffer-frame
+ (make-frame
+ '(minibuffer only
+ width 86
+ height 1
+ menubar-visible-p nil
+ default-toolbar-visible-p nil
+ name "minibuffer"
+ top -2
+ left -2
+ has-modeline-p nil)))
+ (frame-notice-user-settings)
+
+ *Please note:* The single minibuffer frame may not be to everyone's
+taste, and there any number of other XEmacs options settings that may
+make it difficult or inconvenient to use.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.2.4, Next: Q3.2.5, Prev: Q3.2.3, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.2.4: How can I enable auto-indent and/or Filladapt?
+------------------------------------------------------
+
+Put the following line in your `init.el':
+
+ (setq indent-line-function 'indent-relative-maybe)
+
+ If you want to get fancy, try the `filladapt' package available
+standard with XEmacs. Put this into your `init.el':
+
+ (require 'filladapt)
+ (setq-default filladapt-mode t)
+ (add-hook 'c-mode-hook 'turn-off-filladapt-mode)
+
+ This will enable Filladapt for all modes except C mode, where it
+doesn't work well. To turn Filladapt on only in particular major
+modes, remove the `(setq-default ...)' line and use
+`turn-on-filladapt-mode', like this:
+
+ (add-hook 'text-mode-hook 'turn-on-filladapt-mode)
+
+ You can customize filling and adaptive filling with Customize.
+Select from the `Options' menu `Advanced
+(Customize)->Emacs->Editing->Fill->Fill...' or type `M-x customize
+<RET> fill <RET>'.
+
+ Note that well-behaving text-lookalike modes will run
+`text-mode-hook' by default (e.g. that's what Message does). For the
+nasty ones, you'll have to provide the `add-hook's yourself.
+
+ Please note that the `fa-extras' package is no longer useful.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.2.5, Next: Q3.3.1, Prev: Q3.2.4, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.2.5: How can I get XEmacs to come up in text/auto-fill mode by default?
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Try the following lisp in your `init.el':
+
+ (setq default-major-mode 'text-mode)
+ (add-hook 'text-mode-hook 'turn-on-auto-fill)
+
+ *WARNING*: note that changing the value of `default-major-mode' from
+`fundamental-mode' can break a large amount of built-in code that
+expects newly created buffers to be in `fundamental-mode'. (Changing
+from `fundamental-mode' to `text-mode' might not wreak too much havoc,
+but changing to something more exotic like a lisp-mode would break many
+Emacs packages).
+
+ Note that Emacs by default starts up in buffer `*scratch*' in
+`initial-major-mode', which defaults to `lisp-interaction-mode'. Thus
+adding the following form to your Emacs init file will cause the
+initial `*scratch*' buffer to be put into auto-fill'ed `text-mode':
+
+ (setq initial-major-mode
+ (lambda ()
+ (text-mode)
+ (turn-on-auto-fill)))
+
+ Note that after your init file is loaded, if
+`inhibit-startup-message' is `nil' (the default) and the startup buffer
+is `*scratch*' then the startup message will be inserted into
+`*scratch*'; it will be removed after a timeout by erasing the entire
+`*scratch*' buffer. Keep in mind this default usage of `*scratch*' if
+you desire any prior manipulation of `*scratch*' from within your Emacs
+init file. In particular, anything you insert into `*scratch*' from
+your init file will be later erased. Also, if you change the mode of
+the `*scratch*' buffer, be sure that this will not interfere with
+possible later insertion of the startup message (e.g. if you put
+`*scratch*' into a nonstandard mode that has automatic font lock rules,
+then the startup message might get fontified in a strange foreign
+manner, e.g. as code in some programming language).
+
+3.3: Text Selections
+====================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.3.1, Next: Q3.3.2, Prev: Q3.2.5, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.3.1: How do I select a rectangular region?
+---------------------------------------------
+
+Just select the region normally, then use the rectangle commands (e.g.
+`kill-rectangle' on it. The region does not highlight as a rectangle,
+but the commands work just fine.
+
+ To actually sweep out rectangular regions with the mouse you can use
+`mouse-track-do-rectangle' which is assigned to `M-button1'. Then use
+rectangle commands.
+
+ You can also do the following to change default behavior to sweep out
+rectangular regions:
+
+ (setq mouse-track-rectangle-p t)
+
+ You can also change this with Customize. Select from the `Options'
+menu `Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Editing->Mouse->Track Rectangle...'
+or type `M-x customize <RET> mouse <RET>'.
+
+ mouse-track-do-rectangle: (event)
+ -- an interactive compiled Lisp function.
+ Like `mouse-track' but selects rectangles instead of regions.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.3.2, Next: Q3.3.3, Prev: Q3.3.1, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.3.2: How can I turn off or change highlighted selections?
+------------------------------------------------------------
+
+The `zmacs' mode allows for what some might call gratuitous
+highlighting for selected regions (either by setting mark or by using
+the mouse). This is the default behavior. To turn off, add the
+following line to your `init.el' file:
+
+ (setq zmacs-regions nil)
+
+ You can also change this with Customize. Select from the `Options'
+menu `Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Editing->Basics->Zmacs Regions' or
+type `M-x customize <RET> editing-basics <RET>'.
+
+ To change the face for selection, look at `Options->Advanced
+(Customize)' on the menubar.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.3.3, Next: Q3.3.4, Prev: Q3.3.2, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.3.3: How do I cause typing on an active region to remove it?
+---------------------------------------------------------------
+
+I want to change things so that if I select some text and start typing,
+the typed text replaces the selected text, similar to Motif.
+
+ You want to use something called "pending delete". Pending delete
+is what happens when you select a region (with the mouse or keyboard)
+and you press a key to replace the selected region by the key you typed.
+Usually backspace kills the selected region.
+
+ To get this behavior, ensure that you have the `pc' package
+installed, and add the following lines to your `init.el':
+
+ (cond
+ ((fboundp 'turn-on-pending-delete)
+ (turn-on-pending-delete))
+ ((fboundp 'pending-delete-on)
+ (pending-delete-on t)))
+
+ Note that this will work with both Backspace and Delete. This code
+is a tad more complicated than it has to be for XEmacs in order to make
+it more portable.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.3.4, Next: Q3.3.5, Prev: Q3.3.3, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.3.4: Can I turn off the highlight during isearch?
+----------------------------------------------------
+
+I do not like my text highlighted while I am doing isearch as I am not
+able to see what's underneath. How do I turn it off?
+
+ Put the following in your `init.el':
+
+ (setq isearch-highlight nil)
+
+ You can also change this with Customize. Type `M-x
+customize-variable <RET> isearch-highlight <RET>'.
+
+ Note also that isearch-highlight affects query-replace and ispell.
+Instead of disabling isearch-highlight you may find that a better
+solution consists of customizing the `isearch' face.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.3.5, Next: Q3.3.6, Prev: Q3.3.4, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.3.5: Why is killing so slow?
+-------------------------------
+
+This actually is an X Windows question, although you'll notice it with
+keyboard operations as well as while using the GUI. Basically, there
+are four ways to communicate interprogram via the X server:
+
+*Primary selection*
+ a transient selection that gets replaced every time a new
+ selection is made
+
+*Secondary selection*
+ for "exchanging" with the primary selection
+
+*Cut buffers*
+ a clipboard internal to the X server (deprecated)
+
+*Clipboard selection*
+ a selection with a notification protocol that allows a separate
+ app to manage the clipboard
+
+ The cut buffers are deprecated because managing them is even more
+inefficient than the clipboard notification protocol. The primary
+selection works fine for many users and applications, but is not very
+robust under intensive or sophisticated use.
+
+ In Motif and MS Windows, a clipboard has become the primary means for
+managing cut and paste. These means that "modern" applications tend to
+be oriented toward a true clipboard, rather than the primary selection.
+(On Windows, there is nothing equivalent to the primary selection.)
+It's not that XEmacs doesn't support the simple primary selection
+method, it's that more and more other applications don't.
+
+ So the slowdown occurs because XEmacs now engages in the clipboard
+notification protocol on _every_ kill. This is especially slow on
+Motif.
+
+ With most people running most clients and server on the same host,
+and many of the rest working over very fast communication, you may
+expect that the situation is not going to improve.
+
+ There are a number of workarounds. The most effective is to use a
+special command to do selection ownership only when you intend to paste
+to another application. Useful commands are `kill-primary-selection'
+and `copy-primary-selection'. These work only on text selected with
+the mouse (probably; experiment), and are bound by default to the `Cut'
+and `Copy', respectively, buttons on the toolbar.
+`copy-primary-selection' is also bound to `C-Insert'. You can yank the
+clipboard contents with `yank-primary-selection', bound to the `Paste'
+toolbar button and `Sh-Insert'.
+
+ If you are communicating by cut and paste with applications that use
+the primary selection, then you can customize
+`interprogram-cut-function' to `nil', restoring the XEmacs version 20
+behavior. How can you tell if a program will support this?
+Motifly-correct programs require the clipboard; you lose. For others,
+only by trying it. You also need to customize the complementary
+`interprogram-paste-function' to `nil'. (Otherwise XEmacs-to-XEmacs
+pastes will not work correctly.)
+
+ You may get some relief on Motif by setting
+`x-selection-strict-motif-ownership' to nil, but this means you will
+only intermittently be able to paste XEmacs kills to Motif applications.
+
+ Thanks to Jeff Mincy and Glynn Clements for corrections.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.3.6, Next: Q3.4.1, Prev: Q3.3.5, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.3.6: Why does `M-w' take so long?
+------------------------------------
+
+It actually doesn't. It leaves the region visible for a second so that
+you can see what area is being yanked. If you start working, though, it
+will immediately complete its operation. In other words, it will only
+delay for a second if you let it.
+
+3.4: Editing Source Code
+========================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.4.1, Next: Q3.4.2, Prev: Q3.3.6, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.4.1: I do not like cc-mode. How do I use the old c-mode?
+------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Well, first off, consider if you really want to do this. cc-mode is
+much more powerful than the old c-mode. If you're having trouble
+getting your old offsets to work, try using `c-set-offset' instead.
+You might also consider using the package `cc-compat'.
+
+ But, if you still insist, add the following lines to your `init.el':
+
+ (fmakunbound 'c-mode)
+ (makunbound 'c-mode-map)
+ (fmakunbound 'c++-mode)
+ (makunbound 'c++-mode-map)
+ (makunbound 'c-style-alist)
+ (load-library "old-c-mode")
+ (load-library "old-c++-mode")
+
+ This must be done before any other reference is made to either
+c-mode or c++-mode.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q3.4.2, Prev: Q3.4.1, Up: Editing
+
+Q3.4.2: How do you make XEmacs indent CL if-clauses correctly?
+--------------------------------------------------------------
+
+I'd like XEmacs to indent all the clauses of a Common Lisp `if' the
+same amount instead of indenting the 3rd clause differently from the
+first two.
+
+ The package `cl-indent' that comes with XEmacs sets up this kind of
+indentation by default. `cl-indent' also knows about many other
+CL-specific forms. To use `cl-indent', one can do this:
+
+ (setq lisp-indent-function 'common-lisp-indent-function)
+
+ One can also customize `cl-indent.el' so it mimics the default `if'
+indentation `then' indented more than the `else'. Here's how:
+
+ (put 'if 'common-lisp-indent-function '(nil nil &body))
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Display, Next: External Subsystems, Prev: Editing, Up: Top
+
+4 Display Functions
+*******************
+
+This is part 4 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
+section is devoted to the display-related capabilities of XEmacs
+(fonts, colors, modeline, menubar, toolbar, scrollbar, etc.) and how to
+customize them.
+
+* Menu:
+
+4.0: Textual Fonts and Colors
+* Q4.0.1:: How do I specify a font?
+* Q4.0.2:: How do I set the text, menu and modeline fonts?
+* Q4.0.3:: How can I set color options from `init.el'?
+* Q4.0.4:: How can I set the colors when highlighting a region?
+* Q4.0.5:: How can I limit color map usage?
+* Q4.0.6:: My tty supports color, but XEmacs doesn't use them.
+* Q4.0.7:: Can I have pixmap backgrounds in XEmacs?
+* Q4.0.8:: How do I display non-ASCII characters?
+* Q4.0.9:: Font selections in don't get saved after `Save Options'.
+
+4.1: Syntax Highlighting (Font Lock)
+* Q4.1.1:: How can I do source code highlighting using font-lock?
+* Q4.1.2:: How do I get `More' Syntax Highlighting on by default?
+
+4.2: The Modeline
+* Q4.2.1:: How can I make the modeline go away?
+* Q4.2.2:: How do you have XEmacs display the line number in the modeline?
+* Q4.2.3:: How do I get XEmacs to put the time of day on the modeline?
+* Q4.2.4:: How can I change the modeline color based on the mode used?
+
+4.3: The Cursor
+* Q4.3.1:: Is there a way to make the bar cursor thicker?
+* Q4.3.2:: Is there a way to get back the block cursor?
+* Q4.3.3:: Can I make the cursor blink?
+
+4.4: The Menubar
+* Q4.4.1:: How do I get rid of the menubar?
+* Q4.4.2:: How can I customize the menubar?
+* Q4.4.3:: How do I enable use of the keyboard (Alt) to access menu items?
+* Q4.4.4:: How do I control how many buffers are listed in the menu `Buffers List'?
+* Q4.4.5:: Resources like `Emacs*menubar*font' are not working?
+
+4.5: The Toolbar
+* Q4.5.1:: How do I get rid of the toolbar?
+* Q4.5.2:: How can I customize the toolbar?
+* Q4.5.3:: How can I bind a key to a function to toggle the toolbar?
+* Q4.5.4:: `Can't instantiate image error...' in toolbar
+
+4.6: Scrollbars and Scrolling
+* Q4.6.1:: How can I disable the scrollbar?
+* Q4.6.2:: How can I change the scrollbar width?
+* Q4.6.3:: How can I use resources to change scrollbar colors?
+* Q4.6.4:: Moving the scrollbar can move the point; can I disable this?
+* Q4.6.5:: Scrolling one line at a time.
+* Q4.6.6:: How can I turn off automatic horizontal scrolling in specific modes?
+* Q4.6.7:: I find auto-show-mode disconcerting. How do I turn it off?
+
+4.7: The Gutter Tabs, The Progress Bar, Widgets
+* Q4.7.1:: How can I disable the gutter tabs?
+* Q4.7.2:: How can I disable the progress bar?
+* Q4.7.3:: There are bugs in the gutter or widgets.
+* Q4.7.4:: How can I customize the gutter or gutter tabs?
+
+4.0: Textual Fonts and Colors
+=============================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.0.1, Next: Q4.0.2, Prev: Display, Up: Display
+
+Q4.0.1: How do I specify a font?
+--------------------------------
+
+#### Update me.
+
+ In 21.4 and above, you can use the `Options' menu to change the font.
+You can also do it in your init file, e.g. like this (for MS Windows):
+
+ (set-face-font 'default "Lucida Console:Regular:10")
+ (set-face-font 'modeline "MS Sans Serif:Regular:10")
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.0.2, Next: Q4.0.3, Prev: Q4.0.1, Up: Display
+
+Q4.0.2: How do I set the text, menu and modeline fonts?
+-------------------------------------------------------
+
+#### Update me.
+
+ Note that you should use `Emacs.' and not `Emacs*' when setting face
+values.
+
+ In `.Xresources':
+
+ Emacs.default.attributeFont: -*-*-medium-r-*-*-*-120-*-*-m-*-*-*
+ Emacs*menubar*font: fixed
+ Emacs.modeline.attributeFont: fixed
+
+ This is confusing because `default' and `modeline' are face names,
+and can be found listed with all faces in the current mode by using
+`M-x set-face-font (enter) ?'. They use the face-specific resource
+`attributeFont'.
+
+ On the other hand, `menubar' is a normal X thing that uses the
+resource `font'. With Motif it _may be_ necessary to use `fontList'
+_instead of_ `font'. In _non-Motif_ configurations with Mule it _is_
+necessary to use `fontSet' instead of `font'. (Sorry, there just is no
+simple recipe here.)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.0.3, Next: Q4.0.4, Prev: Q4.0.2, Up: Display
+
+Q4.0.3: How can I set color options from `init.el'?
+---------------------------------------------------
+
+How can I set the most commonly used color options from my `init.el'
+instead of from my `.Xresources'?
+
+ Like this:
+
+ (set-face-background 'default "bisque") ; frame background
+ (set-face-foreground 'default "black") ; normal text
+ (set-face-background 'zmacs-region "red") ; When selecting w/
+ ; mouse
+ (set-face-foreground 'zmacs-region "yellow")
+ (set-face-font 'default "*courier-bold-r*120-100-100*")
+ (set-face-background 'highlight "blue") ; Ie when selecting
+ ; buffers
+ (set-face-foreground 'highlight "yellow")
+ (set-face-background 'modeline "blue") ; Line at bottom
+ ; of buffer
+ (set-face-foreground 'modeline "white")
+ (set-face-font 'modeline "*bold-r-normal*140-100-100*")
+ (set-face-background 'isearch "yellow") ; When highlighting
+ ; while searching
+ (set-face-foreground 'isearch "red")
+ (setq x-pointer-foreground-color "black") ; Adds to bg color,
+ ; so keep black
+ (setq x-pointer-background-color "blue") ; This is color
+ ; you really
+ ; want ptr/crsr
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.0.4, Next: Q4.0.5, Prev: Q4.0.3, Up: Display
+
+Q4.0.4: How can I set the colors when highlighting a region?
+------------------------------------------------------------
+
+How can I set the background/foreground colors when highlighting a
+region?
+
+ You can change the face `zmacs-region' either in your `.Xresources':
+
+ Emacs.zmacs-region.attributeForeground: firebrick
+ Emacs.zmacs-region.attributeBackground: lightseagreen
+
+ or in your `init.el':
+
+ (set-face-background 'zmacs-region "red")
+ (set-face-foreground 'zmacs-region "yellow")
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.0.5, Next: Q4.0.6, Prev: Q4.0.4, Up: Display
+
+Q4.0.5: How can I limit color map usage?
+----------------------------------------
+
+I'm using Netscape (or another color grabber like XEmacs); is there any
+way to limit the number of available colors in the color map?
+
+ Answer: No, but you can start Netscape before XEmacs, and it will use
+the closest available color if the colormap is full. You can also limit
+the number of colors Netscape uses, using the flags -mono, -ncols <#> or
+-install (for mono, limiting to <#> colors, or for using a private color
+map).
+
+ If you have the money, another solution would be to use a truecolor
+or direct color video.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.0.6, Next: Q4.0.7, Prev: Q4.0.5, Up: Display
+
+Q4.0.6: My tty supports color, but XEmacs doesn't use them.
+-----------------------------------------------------------
+
+XEmacs tries to automatically determine whether your tty supports color,
+but sometimes guesses wrong. In that case, you can make XEmacs Do The
+Right Thing using this Lisp code:
+
+ (if (eq 'tty (device-type))
+ (set-device-class nil 'color))
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.0.7, Next: Q4.0.8, Prev: Q4.0.6, Up: Display
+
+Q4.0.7: Can I have pixmap backgrounds in XEmacs?
+------------------------------------------------
+
+Juan Villacis <jvillaci@wahnsinnig.extreme.indiana.edu> writes:
+
+ There are several ways to do it. For example, you could specify a
+ default pixmap image to use in your `~/.Xresources', e.g.,
+
+ Emacs*EmacsFrame.default.attributeBackgroundPixmap: /path/to/image.xpm
+
+ and then reload ~/.Xresources and restart XEmacs. Alternatively,
+ since each face can have its own pixmap background, a better way
+ would be to set a face's pixmap within your XEmacs init file, e.g.,
+
+ (set-face-background-pixmap 'default "/path/to/image.xpm")
+ (set-face-background-pixmap 'bold "/path/to/another_image.xpm")
+
+ and so on. You can also do this interactively via `M-x
+ edit-faces'.
+
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.0.8, Next: Q4.0.9, Prev: Q4.0.7, Up: Display
+
+Q4.0.8: How do I display non-ASCII characters?
+----------------------------------------------
+
+If you're using a Mule-enabled XEmacs, then display is automatic. If
+you're not seeing the characters you expect, either (1) you don't have
+appropriate fonts available or (2) XEmacs did not correctly detect the
+coding system (*note Recognize Coding: (xemacs)Recognize Coding.). In
+case (1), install fonts as is customary for your platform. In case
+(2), you need to tell XEmacs explicitly what coding systems you're
+using. *Note Specify Coding: (xemacs)Specify Coding.
+
+ If your XEmacs is not Mule-enabled, and for some reason getting a
+Mule-enabled XEmacs seems like the wrong thing to do, all is not lost.
+You can arrange it by brute force. In `event-Xt.c' (suppress the urge
+to look in this file--play Doom instead, because you'll survive
+longer), it is written:
+
+ In a non-Mule world, a user can still have a multi-lingual editor,
+ by doing `(set-face-font "-*-iso8859-2" (current-buffer))' for all
+ their Latin-2 buffers, etc.
+
+ For the related problem of _inputting_ non-ASCII characters in a
+non-Mule XEmacs, *Note How can you type in special characters in
+XEmacs?: Q3.0.6.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.0.9, Next: Q4.1.1, Prev: Q4.0.8, Up: Display
+
+Q4.0.9: Font selections in don't get saved after `Save Options'.
+----------------------------------------------------------------
+
+John Mann <mannj@ll.mit.edu> writes:
+
+ You have to go to `Options->Menubars' and unselect `Frame-Local
+ Font Menu'. If this option is selected, font changes are only
+ applied to the _current_ frame and do _not_ get saved when you
+ save options.
+
+ Also, set the following in your `init.el':
+
+ (setq options-save-faces t)
+
+4.1: Syntax Highlighting (Font Lock)
+====================================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.1.1, Next: Q4.1.2, Prev: Q4.0.9, Up: Display
+
+Q4.1.1: How can I do source code highlighting using font-lock?
+--------------------------------------------------------------
+
+For most modes, font-lock is already set up and just needs to be turned
+on. This can be done by adding the line:
+
+ (require 'font-lock)
+
+ to your `init.el'. (You can turn it on for the current buffer and
+session only by `M-x font-lock-mode'.) See the file
+`etc/sample.init.el' (`etc/sample.emacs' in XEmacs versions prior to
+21.4) for more information.
+
+ See also `Syntax Highlighting' from the `Options' menu. Remember to
+save options.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.1.2, Next: Q4.2.1, Prev: Q4.1.1, Up: Display
+
+Q4.1.2: How do I get `More' Syntax Highlighting on by default?
+--------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Use the following code in your `init.el':
+
+ (setq-default font-lock-maximum-decoration t)
+
+ See also `Syntax Highlighting' from the `Options' menu. Remember to
+save options.
+
+4.2: The Modeline
+=================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.2.1, Next: Q4.2.2, Prev: Q4.1.2, Up: Display
+
+Q4.2.1: How can I make the modeline go away?
+--------------------------------------------
+
+ (set-specifier has-modeline-p nil)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.2.2, Next: Q4.2.3, Prev: Q4.2.1, Up: Display
+
+Q4.2.2: How do you have XEmacs display the line number in the modeline?
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Add the following line to your `init.el' file to display the line
+number:
+
+ (line-number-mode 1)
+
+ Use the following to display the column number:
+
+ (column-number-mode 1)
+
+ Or select from the `Options' menu `Advanced
+(Customize)->Emacs->Editing->Basics->Line Number Mode' and/or `Advanced
+(Customize)->Emacs->Editing->Basics->Column Number Mode'
+
+ Or type `M-x customize <RET> editing-basics <RET>'.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.2.3, Next: Q4.2.4, Prev: Q4.2.2, Up: Display
+
+Q4.2.3: How do I get XEmacs to put the time of day on the modeline?
+-------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Add the following line to your `init.el' file to display the time:
+
+ (display-time)
+
+ See `Customize' from the `Options' menu for customization.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.2.4, Next: Q4.3.1, Prev: Q4.2.3, Up: Display
+
+Q4.2.4: How can I change the modeline color based on the mode used?
+-------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+You can use something like the following:
+
+ (add-hook 'lisp-mode-hook
+ (lambda ()
+ (set-face-background 'modeline "red" (current-buffer))))
+
+ Then, when editing a Lisp file (i.e. when in Lisp mode), the modeline
+colors change from the default set in your `init.el'. The change will
+only be made in the buffer you just entered (which contains the Lisp
+file you are editing) and will not affect the modeline colors anywhere
+else.
+
+ Notes:
+
+ * The hook is the mode name plus `-hook'. eg. c-mode-hook,
+ c++-mode-hook, emacs-lisp-mode-hook (used for your `init.el' or a
+ `xx.el' file), lisp-interaction-mode-hook (the `*scratch*' buffer),
+ text-mode-hook, etc.
+
+ * Be sure to use `add-hook', not `(setq c-mode-hook xxxx)',
+ otherwise you will erase anything that anybody has already put on
+ the hook.
+
+ * You can also do `(set-face-font 'modeline FONT)', eg.
+ `(set-face-font 'modeline "*bold-r-normal*140-100-100*"
+ (current-buffer))' if you wish the modeline font to vary based on
+ the current mode.
+
+ There are additional modeline faces, `modeline-buffer-id',
+`modeline-mousable', and `modeline-mousable-minor-mode', which you may
+want to customize.
+
+4.3: The Cursor
+===============
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.3.1, Next: Q4.3.2, Prev: Q4.2.4, Up: Display
+
+Q4.3.1: Is there a way to make the bar cursor thicker?
+------------------------------------------------------
+
+I'd like to have the bar cursor a little thicker, as I tend to "lose" it
+often.
+
+ For a 1 pixel bar cursor, use:
+
+ (setq bar-cursor t)
+
+ For a 2 pixel bar cursor, use:
+
+ (setq bar-cursor 'anything-else)
+
+ You can also change these with Customize. Select from the `Options'
+menu `Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Environment->Display->Bar Cursor...'
+or type `M-x customize <RET> display <RET>'.
+
+ You can use a color to make it stand out better:
+
+ Emacs*cursorColor: Red
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.3.2, Next: Q4.3.3, Prev: Q4.3.1, Up: Display
+
+Q4.3.2: Is there a way to get back the block cursor?
+----------------------------------------------------
+
+ (setq bar-cursor nil)
+
+ You can also change this with Customize. Select from the `Options'
+menu `Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Environment->Display->Bar Cursor...'
+or type `M-x customize <RET> display <RET>'.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.3.3, Next: Q4.4.1, Prev: Q4.3.2, Up: Display
+
+Q4.3.3: Can I make the cursor blink?
+------------------------------------
+
+Yes, like this:
+
+ (blink-cursor-mode)
+
+ This function toggles between a steady cursor and a blinking cursor.
+You may also set this mode from the menu bar by selecting
+`Options->Display->Blinking Cursor'. Remember to save options.
+
+4.4: The Menubar
+================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.4.1, Next: Q4.4.2, Prev: Q4.3.3, Up: Display
+
+Q4.4.1: How do I get rid of the menubar?
+----------------------------------------
+
+ (set-specifier menubar-visible-p nil)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.4.2, Next: Q4.4.3, Prev: Q4.4.1, Up: Display
+
+Q4.4.2: How can I customize the menubar?
+----------------------------------------
+
+For an extensive menubar, add this line to your `init.el':
+
+ (load "big-menubar")
+
+ If you'd like to write your own, this file provides as good a set of
+examples as any to start from. The file is located in edit-utils
+package.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.4.3, Next: Q4.4.4, Prev: Q4.4.2, Up: Display
+
+Q4.4.3: How do I enable use of the keyboard (`Alt') to access menu items?
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+#### Write me.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.4.4, Next: Q4.4.5, Prev: Q4.4.3, Up: Display
+
+Q4.4.4: How do I control how many buffers are listed in the menu `Buffers List'?
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Add the following to your `init.el' (suit to fit):
+
+ (setq buffers-menu-max-size 20)
+
+ For no limit, use an argument of `nil'.
+
+ You can also change this with Customize. Select from the `Options'
+menu `Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Environment->Menu->Buffers Menu->Max
+Size...' or type `M-x customize <RET> buffers-menu <RET>'.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.4.5, Next: Q4.5.1, Prev: Q4.4.4, Up: Display
+
+Q4.4.5: Resources like `Emacs*menubar*font' are not working?
+------------------------------------------------------------
+
+I am trying to use a resource like `Emacs*menubar*font' to set the font
+of the menubar but it's not working.
+
+ In Motif, the use of `font' resources is obsoleted in order to
+support internationalization. If you are using the real Motif menubar,
+this resource is not recognized at all; you have to say:
+
+ Emacs*menubar*fontList: FONT
+
+ If you are using the Lucid menubar, for backward compatibility with
+existing user configurations, the `font' resource is recognized. Since
+this is not supported by Motif itself, the code is a kludge and the
+`font' resource will be recognized only if the `fontList' resource
+resource is unset. This means that the resource
+
+ *fontList: FONT
+
+ will override
+
+ Emacs*menubar*font: FONT
+
+ even though the latter is more specific.
+
+ In non-Motif configurations using `--with-mule' and `--with-xfs' it
+_is_ necessary to use the `fontSet' resource _instead of_ the `font'
+resource. The backward compatibility kludge was never implemented for
+non-Motif builds. Example:
+
+ *fontSet: FONT
+
+4.5: The Toolbar
+================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.5.1, Next: Q4.5.2, Prev: Q4.4.5, Up: Display
+
+Q4.5.1: How do I get rid of the toolbar?
+----------------------------------------
+
+#### Write me.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.5.2, Next: Q4.5.3, Prev: Q4.5.1, Up: Display
+
+Q4.5.2: How can I customize the toolbar?
+----------------------------------------
+
+#### Write me.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.5.3, Next: Q4.5.4, Prev: Q4.5.2, Up: Display
+
+Q4.5.3: How can I bind a key to a function to toggle the toolbar?
+-----------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Try something like:
+
+ (defun my-toggle-toolbar ()
+ (interactive)
+ (set-specifier default-toolbar-visible-p
+ (not (specifier-instance default-toolbar-visible-p))))
+ (global-set-key "\C-xT" 'my-toggle-toolbar)
+
+ Thanks to Martin Buchholz <martin@xemacs.org> for the correct code.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.5.4, Next: Q4.6.1, Prev: Q4.5.3, Up: Display
+
+Q4.5.4: `Can't instantiate image error...' in toolbar
+-----------------------------------------------------
+
+Dr. Ram Samudrala <expt@alanine.ram.org> writes:
+
+ I just installed the XEmacs (20.4-2) RPMS that I downloaded from
+`http://www.xemacs.org/'. Everything works fine, except that when I
+place my mouse over the toolbar, it beeps and gives me this message:
+
+ Can't instantiate image (probably cached):
+ [xbm :mask-file "/usr/include/X11/bitmaps/leftptrmsk :mask-data
+ (16 16 <strange control characters> ...
+
+ Kyle Jones <kyle_jones@wonderworks.com> writes:
+
+ This is problem specific to some Chips and Technologies video
+ chips, when running XFree86. Putting
+
+ `Option "sw_cursor"'
+
+ in `XF86Config' gets rid of the problem.
+
+4.6: Scrollbars and Scrolling
+=============================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.6.1, Next: Q4.6.2, Prev: Q4.5.4, Up: Display
+
+Q4.6.1: How can I disable the scrollbar?
+----------------------------------------
+
+To disable them for all frames, add the following line to your
+`.Xresources':
+
+ Emacs.scrollBarWidth: 0
+
+ Or select `Options->Display->Scrollbars'. Remember to save options.
+
+ To turn the scrollbar off on a per-frame basis, use the following
+function:
+
+ (set-specifier scrollbar-width 0 (selected-frame))
+
+ You can actually turn the scrollbars on at any level you want by
+substituting for (selected-frame) in the above command. For example, to
+turn the scrollbars off only in a single buffer:
+
+ (set-specifier scrollbar-width 0 (current-buffer))
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.6.2, Next: Q4.6.3, Prev: Q4.6.1, Up: Display
+
+Q4.6.2: How can I change the scrollbar width?
+---------------------------------------------
+
+#### Write me.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.6.3, Next: Q4.6.4, Prev: Q4.6.2, Up: Display
+
+Q4.6.3: How can I use resources to change scrollbar colors?
+-----------------------------------------------------------
+
+Here's a recap of how to use resources to change your scrollbar colors:
+
+ ! Motif scrollbars
+
+ Emacs*XmScrollBar.Background: skyblue
+ Emacs*XmScrollBar.troughColor: lightgray
+
+ ! Athena scrollbars
+
+ Emacs*Scrollbar.Foreground: skyblue
+ Emacs*Scrollbar.Background: lightgray
+
+ Note the capitalization of `Scrollbar' for the Athena widget.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.6.4, Next: Q4.6.5, Prev: Q4.6.3, Up: Display
+
+Q4.6.4: Moving the scrollbar can move the point; can I disable this?
+--------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+When I move the scrollbar in an XEmacs window, it moves the point as
+well, which should not be the default behavior. Is this a bug or a
+feature? Can I disable it?
+
+ The current behavior is a feature, not a bug. Point remains at the
+same buffer position as long as that position does not scroll off the
+screen. In that event, point will end up in either the upper-left or
+lower-left hand corner.
+
+ This cannot be changed.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.6.5, Next: Q4.6.6, Prev: Q4.6.4, Up: Display
+
+Q4.6.5: Scrolling one line at a time.
+-------------------------------------
+
+Can the cursor keys scroll the screen a line at a time, rather than the
+default half page jump? I tend it to find it disorienting.
+
+ Use the following:
+
+ (setq scroll-step 1)
+
+ You can also change this with Customize. Select from the `Options'
+menu `Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Environment->Windows->Scroll Step...'
+or type `M-x customize <RET> windows <RET>'.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.6.6, Next: Q4.6.7, Prev: Q4.6.5, Up: Display
+
+Q4.6.6: How can I turn off automatic horizontal scrolling in specific modes?
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Do `(setq truncate-lines t)' in the mode-hooks for any modes in which
+you want lines truncated.
+
+ More precisely: If `truncate-lines' is nil, horizontal scrollbars
+will never appear. Otherwise, they will appear only if the value of
+`scrollbar-height' for that buffer/window/etc. is non-zero. If you do
+
+ (set-specifier scrollbar-height 0)
+
+ then horizontal scrollbars will not appear in truncated buffers
+unless the package specifically asked for them.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.6.7, Next: Q4.7.1, Prev: Q4.6.6, Up: Display
+
+Q4.6.7: I find auto-show-mode disconcerting. How do I turn it off?
+-------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+`auto-show-mode' controls whether or not a horizontal scrollbar
+magically appears when a line is too long to be displayed. This is
+enabled by default. To turn it off, put the following in your
+`init.el':
+
+ (setq auto-show-mode nil)
+ (setq-default auto-show-mode nil)
+
+4.7: The Gutter Tabs, The Progress Bar, Widgets
+===============================================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.7.1, Next: Q4.7.2, Prev: Q4.6.7, Up: Display
+
+Q4.7.1: How can I disable the gutter tabs?
+------------------------------------------
+
+#### Write me.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.7.2, Next: Q4.7.3, Prev: Q4.7.1, Up: Display
+
+Q4.7.2: How can I disable the progress bar?
+-------------------------------------------
+
+#### Write me.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.7.3, Next: Q4.7.4, Prev: Q4.7.2, Up: Display
+
+Q4.7.3: There are bugs in the gutter or widgets.
+------------------------------------------------
+
+#### Write me.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q4.7.4, Prev: Q4.7.3, Up: Display
+
+Q4.7.4: How can I customize the gutter or gutter tabs?
+------------------------------------------------------
+
+#### Write me.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: External Subsystems, Next: Internet, Prev: Display, Up: Top
+
+5 Interfacing with the Operating System and External Devices
+************************************************************
+
+This is part 5 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
+section is devoted to the various ways that XEmacs interfaces with the
+operating system, with other processes and with external devices such
+as speakers and the printer.
+
+* Menu:
+
+5.0: X Window System and Resources
+* Q5.0.1:: Where is a list of X resources?
+* Q5.0.2:: How can I detect a color display?
+* Q5.0.3:: How can I get the icon to just say `XEmacs'?
+* Q5.0.4:: How can I have the window title area display the full path?
+* Q5.0.5:: `xemacs -name junk' doesn't work?
+* Q5.0.6:: `-iconic' doesn't work.
+
+5.1: Microsoft Windows
+* Q5.1.1:: Does XEmacs rename all the `win32-*' symbols to `w32-*'?
+* Q5.1.2:: How do I get Windows Explorer to associate a file type with XEmacs?
+
+5.2: Printing
+* Q5.2.1:: What do I need to change to make printing work?
+* Q5.2.2:: How can I print WYSIWYG a font-locked buffer?
+* Q5.2.3:: Getting M-x lpr to work with postscript printer.
+* Q5.2.4:: Can you print under MS Windows?
+
+5.3: Sound
+* Q5.3.1:: How do I turn off the sound?
+* Q5.3.2:: How do I get funky sounds instead of a boring beep?
+* Q5.3.3:: What are NAS and ESD (EsounD)?
+* Q5.3.4:: Sunsite sounds don't play.
+
+5.4: Running an Interior Shell, Invoking Subprocesses
+* Q5.4.1:: What is an interior shell?
+* Q5.4.2:: How do I start up a second shell buffer?
+* Q5.4.3:: Telnet from shell filters too much
+* Q5.4.4:: Strange things are happening in Shell Mode.
+* Q5.4.5:: XEmacs complains "No such file or directory, diff"
+* Q5.4.6:: Cygwin error "fork_copy: linked dll/bss pass 0 failed"
+
+5.5: Multiple Device Support
+* Q5.5.1:: How do I open a frame on another screen of my multi-headed display?
+* Q5.5.2:: Can I really connect to a running XEmacs after calling up over a modem? How?
+* Q5.5.3:: How do I disable gnuserv from opening a new frame?
+* Q5.5.4:: How do I start gnuserv so that each subsequent XEmacs is a client?
+* Q5.5.5:: Is there a way to start a new XEmacs if there's no gnuserv running, and otherwise use gnuclient?
+
+5.0: X Window System and Resources
+==================================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.0.1, Next: Q5.0.2, Prev: External Subsystems, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.0.1: Where is a list of X resources?
+---------------------------------------
+
+Search through the `NEWS' file for `X Resources'. A fairly
+comprehensive list is given after it.
+
+ In addition, an `app-defaults' file `etc/Emacs.ad' is supplied,
+listing the defaults. The file `etc/sample.Xresources' gives a
+different set of defaults that you might consider for installation in
+your `~/.Xresources' file. It is nearly the same as `etc/Emacs.ad',
+but a few entries are altered. Be careful about installing the
+contents of this file into your `.Xresources' (or legacy `.Xdefaults')
+file if you use GNU Emacs under X11 as well.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.0.2, Next: Q5.0.3, Prev: Q5.0.1, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.0.2: How can I detect a color display?
+-----------------------------------------
+
+You can test the return value of the function `(device-class)', as in:
+
+ (when (eq (device-class) 'color)
+ (set-face-foreground 'font-lock-comment-face "Grey")
+ (set-face-foreground 'font-lock-string-face "Red")
+ ....
+ )
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.0.3, Next: Q5.0.4, Prev: Q5.0.2, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.0.3: How can I get the icon to just say `XEmacs'?
+----------------------------------------------------
+
+I'd like the icon to just say `XEmacs', and not include the name of the
+current file in it.
+
+ Add the following line to your `init.el':
+
+ (setq frame-icon-title-format "XEmacs")
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.0.4, Next: Q5.0.5, Prev: Q5.0.3, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.0.4: How can I have the window title area display the full path?
+-------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+I'd like to have the window title area display the full directory/name
+of the current buffer file and not just the name.
+
+ Add the following line to your `init.el':
+
+ (setq frame-title-format "%S: %f")
+
+ A more sophisticated title might be:
+
+ (setq frame-title-format
+ '("%S: " (buffer-file-name "%f"
+ (dired-directory dired-directory "%b"))))
+
+ That is, use the file name, or the dired-directory, or the buffer
+name.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.0.5, Next: Q5.0.6, Prev: Q5.0.4, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.0.5: `xemacs -name junk' doesn't work?
+-----------------------------------------
+
+When I run `xterm -name junk', I get an xterm whose class name
+according to xprop, is `junk'. This is the way it's supposed to work,
+I think. When I run `xemacs -name junk' the class name is not set to
+`junk'. It's still `emacs'. What does `xemacs -name' really do? The
+reason I ask is that my window manager (fvwm) will make a window sticky
+and I use XEmacs to read my mail. I want that XEmacs window to be
+sticky, without having to use the window manager's function to set the
+window sticky. What gives?
+
+ `xemacs -name' sets the application name for the program (that is,
+the thing which normally comes from `argv[0]'). Using `-name' is the
+same as making a copy of the executable with that new name. The
+`WM_CLASS' property on each frame is set to the frame-name, and the
+application-class. So, if you did `xemacs -name FOO' and then created
+a frame named BAR, you'd get an X window with WM_CLASS = `( "BAR",
+"Emacs")'. However, the resource hierarchy for this widget would be:
+
+ Name: FOO .shell .container .BAR
+ Class: Emacs .TopLevelEmacsShell.EmacsManager.EmacsFrame
+
+ instead of the default
+
+ Name: xemacs.shell .container .emacs
+ Class: Emacs .TopLevelEmacsShell.EmacsManager.EmacsFrame
+
+ It is arguable that the first element of WM_CLASS should be set to
+the application-name instead of the frame-name, but I think that's less
+flexible, since it does not give you the ability to have multiple frames
+with different WM_CLASS properties. Another possibility would be for
+the default frame name to come from the application name instead of
+simply being `emacs'. However, at this point, making that change would
+be troublesome: it would mean that many users would have to make yet
+another change to their resource files (since the default frame name
+would suddenly change from `emacs' to `xemacs', or whatever the
+executable happened to be named), so we'd rather avoid it.
+
+ To make a frame with a particular name use:
+
+ (make-frame '((name . "the-name")))
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.0.6, Next: Q5.1.1, Prev: Q5.0.5, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.0.6: `-iconic' doesn't work.
+-------------------------------
+
+When I start up XEmacs using `-iconic' it doesn't work right. Using
+`-unmapped' on the command line, and setting the `initiallyUnmapped' X
+Resource don't seem to help much either...
+
+ Ben Wing <ben@xemacs.org> writes:
+
+ Ugh, this stuff is such an incredible mess that I've about given up
+ getting it to work. The principal problem is numerous
+ window-manager bugs...
+
+5.1: Microsoft Windows
+======================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.1.1, Next: Q5.1.2, Prev: Q5.0.6, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.1.1: Does XEmacs rename all the `win32-*' symbols to `w32-*'?
+----------------------------------------------------------------
+
+In his flavor of Emacs 20, Richard Stallman has renamed all the
+`win32-*' symbols to `w32-*'. Does XEmacs do the same?
+
+ We consider such a move counter-productive, thus we do not use the
+`w32' prefix. (His rather questionable justification was that he did
+not consider Windows to be a "winning" platform.) However, the name
+`Win32' is not particularly descriptive outside the Windows world, and
+using just `windows-' would be too generic. So we chose a compromise,
+the prefix `mswindows-' for Windows-related variables and functions.
+
+ Thus all the XEmacs variables and functions directly related to
+either the Windows GUI or OS are prefixed `mswindows-' (except for a
+couple of debugging variables, prefixed `debug-mswindows-'). From an
+architectural perspective, however, we believe that this is mostly a
+non-issue because there should be a very small number of
+window-systems-specific variables anyway. Whenever possible, we try to
+provide generic interfaces that apply to all window systems.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.1.2, Next: Q5.2.1, Prev: Q5.1.1, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.1.2: How do I get Windows Explorer to associate a file type with XEmacs?
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Associating a new file type with XEmacs.
+........................................
+
+In Explorer select `View->Options->File Types', press `[New Type...]'
+and fill in the dialog box, e.g.:
+
+ Description of type: Emacs Lisp source
+ Associated extension: el
+ Content Type (MIME): text/plain
+
+ then press `[New...]' and fill in the `Action' dialog box as follows:
+
+ Action:
+ Open
+
+ Application used to perform action:
+ D:\Full\path\for\xemacs.exe "%1"
+
+ [x] Use DDE
+
+ DDE Message:
+ open("%1")
+
+ Application:
+ <leave blank>
+
+ DDE Application Not Running:
+ <leave blank>
+
+ Topic:
+ <leave blank>
+
+Associating an existing file type with XEmacs.
+..............................................
+
+In Explorer select `View->Options->File Types'. Click on the file type
+in the list and press `[Edit...]'. If the file type already has an
+`Open' action, double click on it and fill in the `Action' dialog box
+as described above; otherwise create a new action.
+
+ If the file type has more than one action listed, you probably want
+to make the `Open' action that you just edited the default by clicking
+on it and pressing `Set Default'.
+
+ Note for Windows 2000 users: Under Windows 2000, get to `File Types'
+using `Control Panel->Folder Options->File Types'.
+
+5.2: Printing
+=============
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.2.1, Next: Q5.2.2, Prev: Q5.1.2, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.2.1: What do I need to change to make printing work?
+-------------------------------------------------------
+
+For regular printing there are two variables that can be customized.
+
+`lpr-command'
+ This should be set to a command that takes standard input and sends
+ it to a printer. Something like:
+
+ (setq lpr-command "lp")
+
+`lpr-switches'
+ This should be set to a list that contains whatever the print
+ command requires to do its job. Something like:
+
+ (setq lpr-switches '("-depson"))
+
+ For postscript printing there are three analogous variables to
+customize.
+
+`ps-lpr-command'
+ This should be set to a command that takes postscript on standard
+ input and directs it to a postscript printer.
+
+`ps-lpr-switches'
+ This should be set to a list of switches required for
+ `ps-lpr-command' to do its job.
+
+`ps-print-color-p'
+ This boolean variable should be set `t' if printing will be done in
+ color, otherwise it should be set to `nil'.
+
+ NOTE: It is an undocumented limitation in XEmacs that postscript
+printing (the `Pretty Print Buffer' menu item) *requires* a window
+system environment. It cannot be used outside of X11.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.2.2, Next: Q5.2.3, Prev: Q5.2.1, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.2.2: How can I print WYSIWYG a font-locked buffer?
+-----------------------------------------------------
+
+Font-lock looks nice. How can I print (WYSIWYG) the highlighted
+document?
+
+ The package `ps-print', which is now included with XEmacs, provides
+the ability to do this. The source code contains complete instructions
+on its use, in
+`$prefix/lib/xemacs/xemacs-packages/lisp/ps-print/ps-print.el', being
+the default location of an installed ps-print package.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.2.3, Next: Q5.2.4, Prev: Q5.2.2, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.2.3: Getting `M-x lpr' to work with postscript printer.
+----------------------------------------------------------
+
+My printer is a Postscript printer and `lpr' only works for Postscript
+files, so how do I get `M-x lpr-region' and `M-x lpr-buffer' to work?
+
+ Put something like this in your `init.el':
+
+ (setq lpr-command "a2ps")
+ (setq lpr-switches '("-p" "-1"))
+
+ If you don't use a2ps to convert ASCII to postscript (why not, it's
+free?), replace with the command you do use. Note also that some
+versions of a2ps require a `-Pprinter' to ensure spooling.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.2.4, Next: Q5.3.1, Prev: Q5.2.3, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.2.4: Can you print under MS Windows?
+---------------------------------------
+
+As of 21.4, printing works on Windows, using simply `File->Print
+BUFFER...', and can be configured with `File->Page Setup...'.
+
+ Prior to 21.4, there is no built-in support, but there are some
+clever hacks out there. If you know how, please let us know and we'll
+put it here.
+
+5.3: Sound
+==========
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.3.1, Next: Q5.3.2, Prev: Q5.2.4, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.3.1: How do I turn off the sound?
+------------------------------------
+
+Add the following line to your `init.el':
+
+ (setq bell-volume 0)
+ (setq sound-alist nil)
+
+ That will make your XEmacs totally silent--even the default ding
+sound (TTY beep on TTY-s) will be gone.
+
+ You can also change these with Customize. Select from the `Options'
+menu `Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Environment->Sound->Sound...' or
+type `M-x customize <RET> sound <RET>'.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.3.2, Next: Q5.3.3, Prev: Q5.3.1, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.3.2: How do I get funky sounds instead of a boring beep?
+-----------------------------------------------------------
+
+Make sure your XEmacs was compiled with sound support, and then put this
+in your `init.el':
+
+ (load-default-sounds)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.3.3, Next: Q5.3.4, Prev: Q5.3.2, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.3.3: What are NAS and ESD (EsounD)?
+--------------------------------------
+
+"Network Audio System" (NAS) is a client-server sound library for X.
+
+ `http://radscan.com/nas.html'.
+
+ To build XEmacs with it, use the `configure' flag `--with-sound=nas'
+(`--enable-sound=nas' in 21.5 or later).
+
+ "Enlightened Sound Daemon" (ESD or EsounD) is yet another sound
+system.
+
+ `http://www.tux.org/~ricdude/EsounD.html'.
+
+ To build XEmacs with it, use the `configure' flag `--with-sound=esd'
+(`--enable-sound=esd' in 21.5 or later).
+
+ You can specify support for both with a flag like
+`--with-sound=nas,esd' (`--enable-sound=nas,esd' in 21.5 or later).
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.3.4, Next: Q5.4.1, Prev: Q5.3.3, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.3.4: Sunsite sounds don't play.
+----------------------------------
+
+I'm having some trouble with sounds I've downloaded from sunsite. They
+play when I run them through `showaudio' or cat them directly to
+`/dev/audio', but XEmacs refuses to play them.
+
+ Markus Gutschke <gutschk@uni-muenster.de> writes:
+
+ [Many of] These files have an (erroneous) 24byte header that tells
+ about the format that they have been recorded in. If you cat them
+ to `/dev/audio', the header will be ignored and the default
+ behavior for /dev/audio will be used. This happens to be 8kHz
+ uLaw. It is probably possible to fix the header by piping through
+ `sox' and passing explicit parameters for specifying the sampling
+ format; you then need to perform a 'null' conversion from SunAudio
+ to SunAudio.
+
+5.4: Running an Interior Shell, Invoking Subprocesses
+=====================================================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.4.1, Next: Q5.4.2, Prev: Q5.3.4, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.4.1: What is an interior shell?
+----------------------------------
+
+#### Write me.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.4.2, Next: Q5.4.3, Prev: Q5.4.1, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.4.2: How do I start up a second shell buffer?
+------------------------------------------------
+
+In the `*shell*' buffer:
+
+ M-x rename-buffer <RET> *shell-1* <RET>
+ M-x shell RET
+
+ This will then start a second shell. The key is that no buffer named
+`*shell*' can exist. It might be preferable to use `M-x
+rename-uniquely' to rename the `*shell*' buffer instead of `M-x
+rename-buffer'.
+
+ Alternately, you can set the variable `shell-multiple-shells'. If
+the value of this variable is non-nil, each time shell mode is invoked,
+a new shell is made
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.4.3, Next: Q5.4.4, Prev: Q5.4.2, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.4.3: Telnet from shell filters too much
+------------------------------------------
+
+I'm using the Emacs `M-x shell' function, and I would like to invoke
+and use a telnet session within it. Everything works fine except that
+now all `^M''s are filtered out by Emacs. Fixes?
+
+ Use `M-x rsh' or `M-x telnet' to open remote sessions rather than
+doing rsh or telnet within the local shell buffer. You can also use
+`M-x ssh' to open secure remote session if you have `ssh' installed.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.4.4, Next: Q5.4.5, Prev: Q5.4.3, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.4.4: Strange things are happening in Shell Mode.
+---------------------------------------------------
+
+Sometimes (i.e. it's not repeatable, and I can't work out why it
+happens) when I'm typing into shell mode, I hit return and only a
+portion of the command is given to the shell, and a blank prompt is
+returned. If I hit return again, the rest of the previous command is
+given to the shell.
+
+ Martin Buchholz <martin@xemacs.org> writes:
+
+ There is a known problem with interaction between `csh' and the
+ `filec' option and XEmacs. You should add the following to your
+ `.cshrc':
+
+ if ( "$TERM" == emacs || "$TERM" == unknown ) unset filec
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.4.5, Next: Q5.4.6, Prev: Q5.4.4, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.4.5: XEmacs complains "No such file or directory, diff"
+----------------------------------------------------------
+
+or "ispell" or other commands that seem related to whatever you just
+tried to do (M-x ediff or M-$, for example).
+
+ There are a large number of common (in the sense that "everyone has
+these, they really do") Unix utilities that are not provided with
+XEmacs. The GNU Project's implementations are available for Windows in
+the the Cygwin distribution (`http://www.cygwin.com/'), which also
+provides a complete Unix emulation environment (and thus makes ports of
+Unix utilities nearly trivial). Another implementation is that from
+MinGW (`http://www.mingw.org/msys.shtml'). If you know of others,
+please let us know!
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.4.6, Next: Q5.5.1, Prev: Q5.4.5, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.4.6: Cygwin error "fork_copy: linked dll/bss pass 0 failed"
+--------------------------------------------------------------
+
+If you are getting an error like
+
+ 17797832 [main] bash 3468 fork_copy: linked dll/bss pass 0 failed,
+ 0x675000..0x6756A0, done 0, windows pid 2708, Win 32 error 487
+ bash: fork: resource temporarily unavailable
+
+ when trying to run bash using `M-x shell', then you need to rebase
+your Cygwin DLL's. This is a known problem with Cygwin. To fix:
+
+ 1. Download the `rebase' utility from Cygwin setup (it's under
+ `System').
+
+ 2. Kill *all* of your Cygwin processes, including all of your shells
+ and all background processes. Use `ps -a' to list all the
+ processes you need to kill.
+
+ 3. From a DOS prompt, run `ash' (*not* `bash', `tcsh' or `zsh'). Do
+ not try to be clever and `exec /bin/ash' from your last shell; it
+ won't work.
+
+ 4. Type `/bin/rebaseall -v'.
+
+ The problem should now be fixed - at least, until you install another
+Cygwin package with DLL's, in which case you may have to repeat the
+procedure.
+
+5.5: Multiple Device Support
+============================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.5.1, Next: Q5.5.2, Prev: Q5.4.6, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.5.1: How do I open a frame on another screen of my multi-headed display?
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Use the command `M-x make-frame-on-display'. This command is also on
+the File menu in the menubar.
+
+ The command `make-frame-on-tty' also exists, which will establish a
+connection to any tty-like device. Opening the TTY devices should be
+left to `gnuclient', though.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.5.2, Next: Q5.5.3, Prev: Q5.5.1, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.5.2: Can I really connect to a running XEmacs after calling up over a modem? How?
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Yes. Use `gnuclient -nw'.
+
+ Also see *Note How do I disable gnuserv from opening a new frame?:
+Q5.5.3.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.5.3, Next: Q5.5.4, Prev: Q5.5.2, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.5.3: How do I disable gnuserv from opening a new frame?
+----------------------------------------------------------
+
+If you set the `gnuserv-frame' variable to the frame that should be
+used to display buffers that are pulled up, a new frame will not be
+created. For example, you could put
+
+ (setq gnuserv-frame (selected-frame))
+
+ early on in your `init.el', to ensure that the first frame created
+is the one used for your gnuserv buffers.
+
+ There is an option to set the gnuserv target to the current frame.
+See `Options->Display->"Other Window" Location->Make Current Frame
+Gnuserv Target'
+
+ You can also change this with Customize. Select from the `Options'
+menu `Advanced (Customize)->Emacs->Environment->Gnuserv->Gnuserv
+Frame...' or type `M-x customize <RET> gnuserv <RET>'.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.5.4, Next: Q5.5.5, Prev: Q5.5.3, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.5.4: How do I start gnuserv so that each subsequent XEmacs is a client?
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Put the following in your `init.el' file to start the server:
+
+ (gnuserv-start)
+
+ Start your first XEmacs as usual. After that, you can do:
+
+ gnuclient randomfilename
+
+ from the command line to get your existing XEmacs process to open a
+new frame and visit randomfilename in that window. When you're done
+editing randomfilename, hit `C-x #' to kill the buffer and get rid of
+the frame.
+
+ See also man page of gnuclient.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q5.5.5, Prev: Q5.5.4, Up: External Subsystems
+
+Q5.5.5: Is there a way to start a new XEmacs if there's no gnuserv running, and otherwise use gnuclient?
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Jan Vroonhof <vroonhof@math.ethz.ch> writes:
+
+ Here is one of the solutions, we have this in a script called
+ `etc/editclient.sh'.
+ #!/bin/sh
+ if gnuclient -batch -eval t >/dev/null 2>&1
+ then
+ exec gnuclient ${1+"$@"}
+ else
+ xemacs -unmapped -f gnuserv-start &
+ until gnuclient -batch -eval t >/dev/null 2>&1
+ do
+ sleep 1
+ done
+ exec gnuclient ${1+"$@"}
+ fi
+
+ Note that there is a known problem when running XEmacs and
+ 'gnuclient -nw' on the same TTY.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Internet, Next: Advanced, Prev: External Subsystems, Up: Top
+
+6 Connecting to the Internet
+****************************
+
+This is part 6 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
+section is devoted connecting to the Internet.
+
+* Menu:
+
+6.0: General Mail and News
+* Q6.0.1:: What are the various packages for reading mail?
+* Q6.0.2:: How can I send mail?
+* Q6.0.3:: How do I get my outgoing mail archived?
+* Q6.0.4:: How can I read and/or compose MIME messages?
+* Q6.0.5:: How do I customize the From line?
+* Q6.0.6:: How do I get my MUA to filter mail for me?
+* Q6.0.7:: Remote mail reading with an MUA.
+* Q6.0.8:: An MUA gets an error incorporating new mail.
+* Q6.0.9:: Why isn't `movemail' working?
+* Q6.0.10:: How do I make my MUA display graphical smilies?
+* Q6.0.11:: How can I get those oh-so-neat X-Face lines?
+
+6.1: Reading Mail with VM
+* Q6.1.1:: How do I set up VM to retrieve mail from a remote site using POP?
+* Q6.1.2:: How can I get VM to automatically check for new mail?
+* Q6.1.3:: I have various addresses at which I receive mail. How can I tell VM to ignore them when doing a "reply-all"?
+* Q6.1.4:: Is there a mailing list or FAQ for VM?
+* Q6.1.5:: How do I make VM stay in a single frame?
+* Q6.1.6:: Customization of VM not covered in the manual, or here.
+
+6.2: Reading Netnews and Mail with Gnus
+* Q6.2.1:: GNUS, (ding) Gnus, Gnus 5, September Gnus, Red Gnus, Quassia Gnus, argh!
+* Q6.2.2:: How do I make Gnus stay within a single frame?
+
+6.3: FTP Access
+* Q6.3.1:: Can I edit files on other hosts?
+* Q6.3.2:: What is EFS?
+
+6.4: Web Browsing with W3
+* Q6.4.1:: What is W3?
+* Q6.4.2:: How do I run W3 from behind a firewall?
+* Q6.4.3:: Is it true that W3 supports style sheets and tables?
+
+6.0: General Mail and News
+==========================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.0.1, Next: Q6.0.2, Prev: Internet, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.0.1: What are the various packages for reading mail?
+-------------------------------------------------------
+
+#### Write me.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.0.2, Next: Q6.0.3, Prev: Q6.0.1, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.0.2: How can I send mail?
+----------------------------
+
+Under Unix and Mac OS X, the `sendmail' package is normally used for
+this. #### Write me.
+
+ Under Windows, you need to use `smtpmail', which communicates
+directly with the mail server, as there is no `sendmail' program
+running. To get it working, use code like the following in your
+`init.el' file:
+
+ ;; Get mail working under Windows.
+ (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it) ; for message/Gnus
+ (setq send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it) ; for C-x m, etc.
+ ;; the following ensures that mail problems can be debugged: it logs a trace
+ ;; of the SMTP conversation to *trace of SMTP session to <somewhere>*.
+ (setq smtpmail-debug-info t)
+ ;; Substitute your info here.
+ ;(setq user-mail-address "ben@xemacs.org")
+ ;(setq user-full-name "Ben Wing")
+ ;(setq smtpmail-default-smtp-server "smtp.myserver.myisp.com")
+ ;; The following two aren't completely necessary but may help.
+ ;(setq smtpmail-local-domain "666.com")
+ ;(setq smtpmail-sendto-domain "666.com")
+ ;; If your SMTP server requires a username/password to authenticate, as
+ ;; many do nowadays, set them like this:
+ ;(setq smtpmail-auth-credentials ; or use ~/.authinfo
+ ; '(("smtp.myserver.myisp.com" 25 "USER@SOMEWHERE" "PASSWORD")))
+
+ ;; Other possibilities for getting smtpmail to work:
+ ;;
+ ;; If for some reason you need to authenticate using the STARTTLS protocol
+ ;; (don't look into this unless you know what it is), use
+ ;; (setq smtpmail-starttls-credentials
+ ;; '(("YOUR SMTP HOST" 25 "~/.my_smtp_tls.key" "~/.my_smtp_tls.cert")))
+ ;; Requires external program
+ ;; ftp://ftp.opaopa.org/pub/elisp/starttls-*.tar.gz.
+ ;; See http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2246.txt,
+ ;; http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2487.txt
+
+ The lines you need to care about are those that set
+`user-mail-address', `user-full-name', `smtpmail-default-smtp-server',
+and `smtpmail-auth-credentials'. You need to set these with,
+respectively, your email address, your full name, the SMTP server you
+use for outgoing mail, and the username and password you need to log in
+to your SMTP server. (If for some reason your SMTP server doesn't
+require logging in to send mail, don't uncomment this last line.)
+
+ The other settings may be useful in specific cases, but you should
+know what you're doing before enabling them.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.0.3, Next: Q6.0.4, Prev: Q6.0.2, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.0.3: How do I get my outgoing mail archived?
+-----------------------------------------------
+
+ (setq mail-archive-file-name "~/outbox")
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.0.4, Next: Q6.0.5, Prev: Q6.0.3, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.0.4: How can I read and/or compose MIME messages?
+----------------------------------------------------
+
+VM, MH-E and GNUS support MIME natively. Other MUAs may or may not
+have MIME support; refer to their documentation and other resources,
+such as web pages and mailing lists. Packages like SEMI/WEMI may be
+useful in connection with MUAs like mew and Wanderlust.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.0.5, Next: Q6.0.6, Prev: Q6.0.4, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.0.5: How do I customize the From line?
+-----------------------------------------
+
+How do I change the `From:' line? I have set gnus-user-from-line to
+ Gail Gurman <gail.gurman@sybase.com>
+ , but XEmacs Gnus doesn't use it. [This should apply to all MUA's.
+-ed] Instead it uses
+ Gail Mara Gurman <gailg@deall>
+ and then complains that it's incorrect. Also, as you perhaps can
+see, my Message-ID is screwy. How can I change that?
+
+ Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@ifi.uio.no> writes:
+
+ Set `user-mail-address' to `gail.gurman@sybase.com' or
+ `mail-host-address' to `sybase.com'.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.0.6, Next: Q6.0.7, Prev: Q6.0.5, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.0.6: How do I get my MUA to filter mail for me?
+--------------------------------------------------
+
+One possibility is to use procmail to split your mail before it gets to
+the MUA. I prefer this personally, since there are many strange and
+wonderful things one can do with procmail. Procmail may be found at
+`http://www.procmail.org/'.
+
+ Also see the Mail Filtering FAQ at:
+`http://www.faqs.org/faqs/mail/filtering-faq/'.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.0.7, Next: Q6.0.8, Prev: Q6.0.6, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.0.7: Remote mail reading with an MUA.
+----------------------------------------
+
+My mailbox lives at the office on a big honkin server. My regular INBOX
+lives on my honkin desktop machine. I now can PPP to the office from
+home which is far from honking... I'd like to be able to read mail at
+home without storing it here and I'd like to use xemacs and the MUA at
+home... Is there a recommended setup?
+
+ Joseph J. Nuspl Jr. <nuspl@nvwls.cc.purdue.edu> writes:
+
+ There are several ways to do this.
+
+ 1. Set your display to your home machine and run dxpc or one of
+ the other X compressors.
+
+ 2. NFS mount your desktop machine on your home machine and
+ modify your pop command on your home machine to rsh to your
+ desktop machine and actually do the pop get's.
+
+ 3. Run a POP server on your desktop machine as well and do a
+ sort of two tiered POP get.
+
+ William Perry <wmperry@monolith.spry.com> adds:
+
+ Or you could run a pop script periodically on your desktop
+ machine, and just use ange-ftp or NFS to get to your mailbox. I
+ used to do this all the time back at IU.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.0.8, Next: Q6.0.9, Prev: Q6.0.7, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.0.8: An MUA gets an error incorporating new mail.
+----------------------------------------------------
+
+rmail and VM, and probably other MUA's as well, get new mail from your
+mailbox (called `/var/mail/$USER' or `/var/spool/mail/$USER' or
+something similar) using a program called `movemail'. This program
+interlocks with `/bin/mail' using the protocol defined by `/bin/mail'.
+
+ There are various different protocols in general use, which you need
+to specify using the `--mail-locking' option (`--with-mail-locking' in
+21.5 or later) to `configure':
+
+`lockf'
+ POSIX file locking with `lockf()'
+
+`flock'
+ BSD file locking with `flock()'
+
+`dot'
+ To manipulate mail file `foo', first create file `foo.lock'
+
+`locking'
+ Use `locking()', Microsoft's renamed `flock()'
+
+`mmdf'
+ Use `lk_open()' and `lk_close()' as defined by the Multi-channel
+ Memo Distribution Facility
+
+`pop'
+ Retrieve mail using POP (the Post Office Protocol). This is the
+ default for Cygwin/MinGW.
+
+ *IF YOU DON'T USE THE FORM OF INTERLOCKING THAT IS NORMAL ON YOUR
+SYSTEM, YOU CAN LOSE MAIL!*
+
+ Usually the value is correctly determined automatically: `configure'
+tries to detect the method in use, and defaults exist on systems for
+which this doesn't work.
+
+ However, if you run into problems incorporating new mail, it may be
+because an incorrect method is being used.
+
+ If your system uses the lock file protocol, and permissions are set
+so that ordinary users cannot write lock files in the mail spool
+directory, you may need to make `movemail' setgid to a suitable group
+such as `mail'. You can use these commands (as root):
+
+ chgrp mail movemail
+ chmod 2755 movemail
+
+ If you are using the `pop' locking method, `movemail' must be setuid
+root.
+
+ Installation normally copies movemail from the build directory to an
+installation directory which is usually under `/usr/local/lib'. The
+installed copy of `movemail' is usually in the directory
+`/usr/local/lib/xemacs-VERSION/TARGET' (for example,
+`/usr/local/lib/xemacs-21.4.15/i686-pc-cygwin'). You must change the
+group and mode of the installed copy; changing the group and mode of
+the build directory copy is ineffective.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.0.9, Next: Q6.0.10, Prev: Q6.0.8, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.0.9: Why isn't `movemail' working?
+-------------------------------------
+
+*Note Q6.0.8::.
+
+ Note also that older versions of Mozilla came with a `movemail'
+program that is *not* compatible with XEmacs. Do not use it. Always
+use the `movemail' installed with your XEmacs. Failure to do so can
+result in lost mail.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.0.10, Next: Q6.0.11, Prev: Q6.0.9, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.0.10: How do I make my MUA display graphical smilies?
+--------------------------------------------------------
+
+For mh-e use the following:
+
+ (add-hook 'mh-show-mode-hook '(lambda ()
+ (smiley-region (point-min)
+ (point-max))))
+
+ WJCarpenter <bill@carpenter.ORG> writes: For VM use the following:
+ (autoload 'smiley-region "smiley" nil t)
+ (add-hook 'vm-select-message-hook
+ '(lambda ()
+ (smiley-region (point-min)
+ (point-max))))
+
+ For tm use the following:
+ (autoload 'smiley-buffer "smiley" nil t)
+ (add-hook 'mime-viewer/plain-text-preview-hook 'smiley-buffer)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.0.11, Next: Q6.1.1, Prev: Q6.0.10, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.0.11: How can I get those oh-so-neat X-Face lines?
+-----------------------------------------------------
+
+Firstly there is an ftp site which describes X-faces and has the
+associated tools mentioned below, at
+`http://ftp.cs.indiana.edu/pub/faces/'.
+
+ Then the steps are
+
+ 1. Create 48x48x1 bitmap with your favorite tool
+
+ 2. Convert to "icon" format using one of xbm2ikon, pbmtoicon, etc.,
+ and then compile the face.
+
+ 3. cat file.xbm | xbm2ikon |compface > file.face
+
+ 4. Then be sure to quote things that are necessary for emacs strings:
- alias xemacs=/i/xemacs-20.2/src/xemacs
+ cat ./file.face | sed 's/\\/\\\\/g'
+ | sed 's/\"/\\\"/g' > ./file.face.quoted
- (You will obviously use whatever directory you downloaded the source
-tree to instead of `/i/xemacs-20.2').
+ 5. Then set up emacs to include the file as a mail header - there
+ were a couple of suggestions here--either something like:
- This will let you run XEmacs without massive copying.
+ (setq mail-default-headers
+ "X-Face: <Ugly looking text string here>")
+
+ Or, alternatively, as:
+
+ (defun mail-insert-x-face ()
+ (save-excursion
+ (goto-char (point-min))
+ (search-forward mail-header-separator)
+ (beginning-of-line)
+ (insert "X-Face:")
+ (insert-file-contents "~/.face")))
+
+ (add-hook 'mail-setup-hook 'mail-insert-x-face)
+
+ However, 2 things might be wrong:
+
+ Some versions of pbmtoicon produces some header lines that is not
+expected by the version of compface that I grabbed. So I found I had to
+include a `tail +3' in the pipeline like this:
+
+ cat file.xbm | xbm2ikon | tail +3 |compface > file.face
+
+ Some people have also found that if one uses the `(insert-file)'
+method, one should NOT quote the face string using the sed script .
+
+ It might also be helpful to use Stig's <stig@hackvan.com> script
+xbm2face (included in the compface distribution at XEmacs.org) to do the
+conversion.
+
+ Contributors for this item:
+
+ Paul Emsley, Ricardo Marek, Amir J. Katz, Glen McCort, Heinz Uphoff,
+Peter Arius, Paul Harrison, and Vegard Vesterheim
+
+6.1: Reading Mail with VM
+=========================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.1.1, Next: Q6.1.2, Prev: Q6.0.11, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.1.1: How do I set up VM to retrieve mail from a remote site using POP?
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Use `vm-spool-files', like this for example:
+
+ (setq vm-spool-files '("/var/spool/mail/wing"
+ "netcom23.netcom.com:110:pass:wing:MYPASS"))
+
+ Of course substitute your actual password for MYPASS.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.1.2, Next: Q6.1.3, Prev: Q6.1.1, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.1.2: How can I get VM to automatically check for new mail?
+-------------------------------------------------------------
+
+John Turner <turner@lanl.gov> writes:
+
+ Use the following:
+
+ (setq vm-auto-get-new-mail 60)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.1.3, Next: Q6.1.4, Prev: Q6.1.2, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.1.3: I have various addresses at which I receive mail. How can I tell VM to ignore them when doing a "reply-all"?
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Set `vm-reply-ignored-addresses' to a list, like
+
+ (setq vm-reply-ignored-addresses
+ '("wing@nuspl@nvwls.cc.purdue.edu,netcom[0-9]*.netcom.com"
+ "wing@netcom.com" "wing@xemacs.org"))
+
+ Note that each string is a regular expression.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.1.4, Next: Q6.1.5, Prev: Q6.1.3, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.1.4: Is there a mailing list or FAQ for VM?
+----------------------------------------------
+
+A FAQ for VM exists at `http://www.wonderworks.com/vm/FAQ.html'.
+
+ VM has its own newsgroups gnu.emacs.vm.info and gnu.emacs.vm.bug.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.1.5, Next: Q6.1.6, Prev: Q6.1.4, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.1.5: How do I make VM stay in a single frame?
+------------------------------------------------
+
+John.John S Cooper <Cooper@Eng.Sun.COM> writes:
+
+ ; Don't use multiple frames
+ (setq vm-frame-per-composition nil)
+ (setq vm-frame-per-folder nil)
+ (setq vm-frame-per-edit nil)
+ (setq vm-frame-per-summary nil)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.1.6, Next: Q6.2.1, Prev: Q6.1.5, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.1.6: Customization of VM not covered in the manual, or here.
+---------------------------------------------------------------
+
+giacomo boffi <boffi@hp735.stru.polimi.it> writes:
+
+ The meta-answer is to look into the file `vm-vars.el', in the vm
+ directory of the lisp library.
+
+ `vm-vars.el' contains, initializes and carefully describes, with
+ examples of usage, the plethora of user options that _fully_
+ control VM's behavior.
+
+ Enter vm-vars, `forward-search' for toolbar, find the variables
+ that control the toolbar placement, appearance, existence, copy to
+ your `init.el' or `.vm' and modify according to the detailed
+ instructions.
+
+ The above also applies to all the various features of VM: search
+ for some keywords, maybe the first you conjure isn't appropriate,
+ find the appropriate variables, copy and experiment.
+
+6.2: Reading Netnews and Mail with Gnus
+=======================================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.2.1, Next: Q6.2.2, Prev: Q6.1.6, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.2.1: GNUS, (ding) Gnus, Gnus 5, September Gnus, Red Gnus, Quassia Gnus, argh!
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+The Gnus numbering issues are not meant for mere mortals to know them.
+If you feel you _must_ enter the muddy waters of Gnus, visit the
+excellent FAQ, maintained by Justin Sheehy, at:
+
+ `http://my.gnus.org/FAQ/'
+
+ See also Gnus home page
+ `http://www.gnus.org/'
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.2.2, Next: Q6.3.1, Prev: Q6.2.1, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.2.2: How do I make Gnus stay within a single frame?
+------------------------------------------------------
+
+The toolbar code to start Gnus opens the new frame--and it's a feature
+rather than a bug. If you don't like it, but would still like to click
+on the seemly icon, use the following code:
+
+ (defun toolbar-news ()
+ (gnus))
+
+ It will redefine the callback function of the icon to just call
+`gnus', without all the fancy frame stuff.
+
+6.3: FTP Access
+===============
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.3.1, Next: Q6.3.2, Prev: Q6.2.2, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.3.1: Can I edit files on other hosts?
+----------------------------------------
+
+Yes. Of course XEmacs can use any network file system (such as NFS or
+Windows file sharing) you have available, and includes some
+optimizations and safety features appropriate to those environments.
+
+ It is also possible to transparently edit files via FTP, ssh, or
+rsh. That is, XEmacs makes a local copy using the transport in the
+background, and automatically refreshes the remote original from that
+copy when you save it. XEmacs also is capable of doing file system
+manipulations like creating and removing directories and files. The
+FTP interface is provided by the standard `efs' package *Note EFS:
+(efs)Top. The ssh/rsh interface is provided by the optional `tramp'
+package *Note TRAMP: (tramp)Top.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.3.2, Next: Q6.4.1, Prev: Q6.3.1, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.3.2: What is EFS?
+--------------------
+
+#### Write me.
+
+6.4: Web Browsing with W3
+=========================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.4.1, Next: Q6.4.2, Prev: Q6.3.2, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.4.1: What is W3?
+-------------------
+
+W3 is an advanced graphical browser written in Emacs lisp that runs on
+XEmacs. It has full support for cascaded style sheets, and more...
+
+ It has a home web page at
+`http://www.cs.indiana.edu/elisp/w3/docs.html'.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.4.2, Next: Q6.4.3, Prev: Q6.4.1, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.4.2: How do I run W3 from behind a firewall?
+-----------------------------------------------
+
+There is a long, well-written, detailed section in the W3 manual that
+describes how to do this. Look in the section entitled "Firewalls".
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q6.4.3, Prev: Q6.4.2, Up: Internet
+
+Q6.4.3: Is it true that W3 supports style sheets and tables?
+------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Yes, and much more. W3, as distributed with the latest XEmacs is a
+full-featured web browser.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Advanced, Next: Other Packages, Prev: Internet, Up: Top
+
+7 Advanced Customization Using XEmacs Lisp
+******************************************
+
+This is part 7 of the XEmacs Frequently Asked Questions list. This
+section is devoted to advanced customization using XEmacs Lisp.
+
+* Menu:
+
+7.0: Emacs Lisp and `init.el'
+* Q7.0.1:: What version of Emacs am I running?
+* Q7.0.2:: How can I evaluate Emacs-Lisp expressions?
+* Q7.0.3:: `(setq tab-width 6)' behaves oddly.
+* Q7.0.4:: How can I add directories to the `load-path'?
+* Q7.0.5:: How to check if a lisp function is defined?
+* Q7.0.6:: Can I force the output of `(face-list)' to a buffer?
+
+7.1: Emacs Lisp Programming Techniques
+* Q7.1.1:: What is the difference in key sequences between XEmacs and GNU Emacs?
+* Q7.1.2:: Can I generate "fake" keyboard events?
+* Q7.1.3:: Could you explain `read-kbd-macro' in more detail?
+* Q7.1.4:: What is the performance hit of `let'?
+* Q7.1.5:: What is the recommended use of `setq'?
+* Q7.1.6:: What is the typical misuse of `setq'?
+* Q7.1.7:: I like the `do' form of cl, does it slow things down?
+* Q7.1.8:: I like recursion, does it slow things down?
+* Q7.1.9:: How do I put a glyph as annotation in a buffer?
+* Q7.1.10:: `map-extents' won't traverse all of my extents!
+* Q7.1.11:: My elisp program is horribly slow. Is there an easy way to find out where it spends time?
+
+7.2: Mathematics
+* Q7.2.1:: What are bignums, ratios, and bigfloats in Lisp?
+* Q7.2.2:: XEmacs segfaults when I use very big numbers!
+* Q7.2.3:: Bignums are really slow!
+* Q7.2.4:: Equal bignums don't compare as equal! What gives?
+
+7.0: Emacs Lisp and `init.el'
+=============================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q7.0.1, Next: Q7.0.2, Prev: Advanced, Up: Advanced
+
+Q7.0.1: What version of Emacs am I running?
+-------------------------------------------
+
+How can `init.el' determine which of the family of Emacsen I am using?
+
+ To determine if you are currently running GNU Emacs 18, GNU Emacs 19,
+XEmacs 19, XEmacs 20, or Epoch, and use appropriate code, check out the
+example given in `etc/sample.init.el' (`etc/sample.emacs' in XEmacs
+versions prior to 21.4). There are other nifty things in there as well!
+
+ For all new code, all you really need to do is:
+
+ (defvar running-xemacs (string-match "XEmacs\\|Lucid" emacs-version))
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q7.0.2, Next: Q7.0.3, Prev: Q7.0.1, Up: Advanced
+
+Q7.0.2: How can I evaluate Emacs-Lisp expressions?
+--------------------------------------------------
+
+I know I can evaluate Elisp expressions from `*scratch*' buffer with
+`C-j' after the expression. How do I do it from another buffer?
+
+ Press `M-:' (the default binding of `eval-expression'), and enter
+the expression to the minibuffer.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q7.0.3, Next: Q7.0.4, Prev: Q7.0.2, Up: Advanced
+
+Q7.0.3: `(setq tab-width 6)' behaves oddly.
+-------------------------------------------
+
+If you put `(setq tab-width 6)' in your `init.el' file it does not
+work! Is there a reason for this? If you do it at the EVAL prompt it
+works fine!! How strange.
+
+ Use `setq-default' instead, since `tab-width' is all-buffer-local.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q7.0.4, Next: Q7.0.5, Prev: Q7.0.3, Up: Advanced
+
+Q7.0.4: How can I add directories to the `load-path'?
+-----------------------------------------------------
+
+Here are two ways to do that, one that puts your directories at the
+front of the load-path, the other at the end:
+
+ ;;; Add things at the beginning of the load-path, do not add
+ ;;; duplicate directories:
+ (pushnew "bar" load-path :test 'equal)
+
+ (pushnew "foo" load-path :test 'equal)
+
+ ;;; Add things at the end, unconditionally
+ (setq load-path (nconc load-path '("foo" "bar")))
+
+ keith (k.p.) hanlan <keithh@nortel.ca> writes:
+
+ To add directories using Unix shell metacharacters use
+ `expand-file-name' like this:
+
+ (push (expand-file-name "~keithh/.emacsdir") load-path)
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q7.0.5, Next: Q7.0.6, Prev: Q7.0.4, Up: Advanced
+
+Q7.0.5: How to check if a lisp function is defined?
+---------------------------------------------------
+
+Use the following elisp:
+
+ (fboundp 'foo)
+
+ It's almost always a mistake to test `emacs-version' or any similar
+variables.
+
+ Instead, use feature-tests, such as `featurep', `boundp', `fboundp',
+or even simple behavioral tests, eg.:
+
+ (defvar foo-old-losing-code-p
+ (condition-case nil (progn (losing-code t) nil)
+ (wrong-number-of-arguments t)))
+
+ There is an incredible amount of broken code out there which could
+work much better more often in more places if it did the above instead
+of trying to divine its environment from the value of one variable.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q7.0.6, Next: Q7.1.1, Prev: Q7.0.5, Up: Advanced
+
+Q7.0.6: Can I force the output of `(face-list)' to a buffer?
+------------------------------------------------------------
+
+It would be good having it in a buffer, as the output of `(face-list)'
+is too wide to fit to a minibuffer.
+
+ Evaluate the expression in the `*scratch*' buffer with point after
+the rightmost paren and typing `C-j'.
+
+ If the minibuffer smallness is the only problem you encounter, you
+can simply press `C-h l' to get the former minibuffer contents in a
+buffer.
+
+7.1: Emacs Lisp Programming Techniques
+======================================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q7.1.1, Next: Q7.1.2, Prev: Q7.0.6, Up: Advanced
+
+Q7.1.1: What is the difference in key sequences between XEmacs and GNU Emacs?
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Erik Naggum <clerik@naggum.no> writes;
+
+ Emacs has a legacy of keyboards that produced characters with
+ modifier bits, and therefore map a variety of input systems into
+ this scheme even today. XEmacs is instead optimized for X events.
+ This causes an incompatibility in the way key sequences are
+ specified, but both Emacs and XEmacs will accept a key sequence as
+ a vector of lists of modifiers that ends with a key, e.g., to bind
+ `M-C-a', you would say `[(meta control a)]' in both Emacsen.
+ XEmacs has an abbreviated form for a single key, just (meta
+ control a). Emacs has an abbreviated form for the Control and the
+ Meta modifiers to string-characters (the ASCII characters), as in
+ `\M-\C-a'. XEmacs users need to be aware that the abbreviated
+ form works only for one-character key sequences, while Emacs users
+ need to be aware that the string-character is rather limited.
+ Specifically, the string-character can accommodate only 256
+ different values, 128 of which have the Meta modifier and 128 of
+ which have not. In each of these blocks, only 32 characters have
+ the Control modifier. Whereas `[(meta control A)]' differs from
+ `[(meta control a)]' because the case differs, `\M-\C-a' and
+ `\M-\C-A' do not. Programmers are advised to use the full common
+ form, both because it is more readable and less error-prone, and
+ because it is supported by both Emacsen.
+
+ Another (even safer) way to be sure of the key-sequences is to use
+the `read-kbd-macro' function, which takes a string like `C-c <up>',
+and converts it to the internal key representation of the Emacs you
+use. The function is available both on XEmacs and GNU Emacs.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q7.1.2, Next: Q7.1.3, Prev: Q7.1.1, Up: Advanced
+
+Q7.1.2: Can I generate "fake" keyboard events?
+----------------------------------------------
+
+I wonder if there is an interactive function that can generate "fake"
+keyboard events. This way, I could simply map them inside XEmacs.
+
+ This seems to work:
+
+ (defun cg--generate-char-event (ch)
+ "Generate an event, as if ch has been typed"
+ (dispatch-event (character-to-event ch)))
+
+ ;; Backspace and Delete stuff
+ (global-set-key [backspace]
+ (lambda () (interactive) (cg--generate-char-event 127)))
+ (global-set-key [unknown_keysym_0x4]
+ (lambda () (interactive) (cg--generate-char-event 4)))
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q7.1.3, Next: Q7.1.4, Prev: Q7.1.2, Up: Advanced
+
+Q7.1.3: Could you explain `read-kbd-macro' in more detail?
+----------------------------------------------------------
+
+The `read-kbd-macro' function returns the internal Emacs representation
+of a human-readable string (which is its argument). Thus:
+
+ (read-kbd-macro "C-c C-a")
+ => [(control ?c) (control ?a)]
+
+ (read-kbd-macro "C-c C-. <up>")
+ => [(control ?c) (control ?.) up]
+
+ In GNU Emacs the same forms will be evaluated to what GNU Emacs
+understands internally--the sequences `"\C-x\C-c"' and `[3 67108910
+up]', respectively.
+
+ The exact "human-readable" syntax is defined in the docstring of
+`edmacro-mode'. I'll repeat it here, for completeness.
+
+ Format of keyboard macros during editing:
+
+ Text is divided into "words" separated by whitespace. Except for
+ the words described below, the characters of each word go directly
+ as characters of the macro. The whitespace that separates words is
+ ignored. Whitespace in the macro must be written explicitly, as in
+ `foo <SPC> bar <RET>'.
+
+ * The special words `RET', `SPC', `TAB', `DEL', `LFD', `ESC',
+ and `NUL' represent special control characters. The words
+ must be written in uppercase.
+
+ * A word in angle brackets, e.g., `<return>', `<down>', or
+ `<f1>', represents a function key. (Note that in the standard
+ configuration, the function key `<return>' and the control key
+ <RET> are synonymous.) You can use angle brackets on the
+ words <RET>, <SPC>, etc., but they are not required there.
+
+ * Keys can be written by their ASCII code, using a backslash
+ followed by up to six octal digits. This is the only way to
+ represent keys with codes above \377.
+
+ * One or more prefixes `M-' (meta), `C-' (control), `S-'
+ (shift), `A-' (alt), `H-' (hyper), and `s-' (super) may
+ precede a character or key notation. For function keys, the
+ prefixes may go inside or outside of the brackets: `C-<down>'
+ == `<C-down>'. The prefixes may be written in any order:
+ `M-C-x' == `C-M-x'.
+
+ Prefixes are not allowed on multi-key words, e.g., `C-abc',
+ except that the Meta prefix is allowed on a sequence of
+ digits and optional minus sign: `M--123' == `M-- M-1 M-2 M-3'.
+
+ * The `^' notation for control characters also works: `^M' ==
+ `C-m'.
+
+ * Double angle brackets enclose command names: `<<next-line>>'
+ is shorthand for `M-x next-line <RET>'.
+
+ * Finally, `REM' or `;;' causes the rest of the line to be
+ ignored as a comment.
+
+ Any word may be prefixed by a multiplier in the form of a decimal
+ number and `*': `3*<right>' == `<right> <right> <right>', and
+ `10*foo' == `foofoofoofoofoofoofoofoofoofoo'.
+
+ Multiple text keys can normally be strung together to form a word,
+ but you may need to add whitespace if the word would look like one
+ of the above notations: `; ; ;' is a keyboard macro with three
+ semicolons, but `;;;' is a comment. Likewise, `\ 1 2 3' is four
+ keys but `\123' is a single key written in octal, and `< right >'
+ is seven keys but `<right>' is a single function key. When in
+ doubt, use whitespace.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q7.1.4, Next: Q7.1.5, Prev: Q7.1.3, Up: Advanced
+
+Q7.1.4: What is the performance hit of `let'?
+---------------------------------------------
+
+In most cases, not noticeable. Besides, there's no avoiding `let'--you
+have to bind your local variables, after all. Some pose a question
+whether to nest `let's, or use one `let' per function. I think because
+of clarity and maintenance (and possible future implementation),
+`let'-s should be used (nested) in a way to provide the clearest code.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q7.1.5, Next: Q7.1.6, Prev: Q7.1.4, Up: Advanced
+
+Q7.1.5: What is the recommended use of `setq'?
+----------------------------------------------
+
+ * Global variables
+
+ You will typically `defvar' your global variable to a default
+ value, and use `setq' to set it later.
+
+ It is never a good practice to `setq' user variables (like
+ `case-fold-search', etc.), as it ignores the user's choice
+ unconditionally. Note that `defvar' doesn't change the value of a
+ variable if it was bound previously. If you wish to change a
+ user-variable temporarily, use `let':
+
+ (let ((case-fold-search nil))
+ ... ; code with searches that must be case-sensitive
+ ...)
+
+ You will notice the user-variables by their docstrings beginning
+ with an asterisk (a convention).
+
+ * Local variables
+
+ Bind them with `let', which will unbind them (or restore their
+ previous value, if they were bound) after exiting from the `let'
+ form. Change the value of local variables with `setq' or whatever
+ you like (e.g. `incf', `setf' and such). The `let' form can even
+ return one of its local variables.
+
+ Typical usage:
+
+ ;; iterate through the elements of the list returned by
+ ;; `hairy-function-that-returns-list'
+ (let ((l (hairy-function-that-returns-list)))
+ (while l
+ ... do something with (car l) ...
+ (setq l (cdr l))))
+
+ Another typical usage includes building a value simply to work
+ with it.
+
+ ;; Build the mode keymap out of the key-translation-alist
+ (let ((inbox (file-truename (expand-file-name box)))
+ (i 0))
+ ... code dealing with inbox ...
+ inbox)
+
+ This piece of code uses the local variable `inbox', which becomes
+ unbound (or regains old value) after exiting the form. The form
+ also returns the value of `inbox', which can be reused, for
+ instance:
+
+ (setq foo-processed-inbox
+ (let .....))
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q7.1.6, Next: Q7.1.7, Prev: Q7.1.5, Up: Advanced
+
+Q7.1.6: What is the typical misuse of `setq'?
+---------------------------------------------
+
+A typical misuse is probably `setq'ing a variable that was meant to be
+local. Such a variable will remain bound forever, never to be
+garbage-collected. For example, the code doing:
+
+ (defun my-function (whatever)
+ (setq a nil)
+ ... build a large list ...
+ ... and exit ...)
+
+ does a bad thing, as `a' will keep consuming memory, never to be
+unbound. The correct thing is to do it like this:
+
+ (defun my-function (whatever)
+ (let (a) ; default initialization is to nil
+ ... build a large list ...
+ ... and exit, unbinding `a' in the process ...)
+
+ Not only is this prettier syntactically, but it makes it possible for
+Emacs to garbage-collect the objects which `a' used to reference.
+
+ Note that even global variables should not be `setq'ed without
+`defvar'ing them first, because the byte-compiler issues warnings. The
+reason for the warning is the following:
+
+ (defun flurgoze nil) ; ok, global internal variable
+ ...
+
+ (setq flurghoze t) ; ops! a typo, but semantically correct.
+ ; however, the byte-compiler warns.
+
+ While compiling toplevel forms:
+ ** assignment to free variable flurghoze
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q7.1.7, Next: Q7.1.8, Prev: Q7.1.6, Up: Advanced
+
+Q7.1.7: I like the `do' form of cl, does it slow things down?
+-------------------------------------------------------------
+
+It shouldn't. Here is what Dave Gillespie has to say about cl.el
+performance:
+
+ Many of the advanced features of this package, such as `defun*',
+ `loop', and `setf', are implemented as Lisp macros. In
+ byte-compiled code, these complex notations will be expanded into
+ equivalent Lisp code which is simple and efficient. For example,
+ the forms
+
+ (incf i n)
+ (push x (car p))
+
+ are expanded at compile-time to the Lisp forms
+
+ (setq i (+ i n))
+ (setcar p (cons x (car p)))
+
+ which are the most efficient ways of doing these respective
+ operations in Lisp. Thus, there is no performance penalty for
+ using the more readable `incf' and `push' forms in your compiled
+ code.
+
+ _Interpreted_ code, on the other hand, must expand these macros
+ every time they are executed. For this reason it is strongly
+ recommended that code making heavy use of macros be compiled. (The
+ features labelled "Special Form" instead of "Function" in this
+ manual are macros.) A loop using `incf' a hundred times will
+ execute considerably faster if compiled, and will also
+ garbage-collect less because the macro expansion will not have to
+ be generated, used, and thrown away a hundred times.
+
+ You can find out how a macro expands by using the `cl-prettyexpand'
+ function.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q7.1.8, Next: Q7.1.9, Prev: Q7.1.7, Up: Advanced
+
+Q7.1.8: I like recursion, does it slow things down?
+---------------------------------------------------
+
+Yes. The Emacs byte-compiler cannot do much to optimize recursion. But
+think well whether this is a real concern in Emacs. Much of the Emacs
+slowness comes from internal mechanisms such as redisplay, or from the
+fact that it is an interpreter.
+
+ Please try not to make your code much uglier to gain a very small
+speed gain. It's not usually worth it.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q7.1.9, Next: Q7.1.10, Prev: Q7.1.8, Up: Advanced
+
+Q7.1.9: How do I put a glyph as annotation in a buffer?
+-------------------------------------------------------
+
+Here is a solution that will insert the glyph annotation at the
+beginning of buffer:
+
+ (make-annotation (make-glyph '([FORMAT :file FILE]
+ [string :data "fallback-text"]))
+ (point-min)
+ 'text
+ (current-buffer))
+
+ Replace `FORMAT' with an unquoted symbol representing the format of
+the image (e.g. `xpm', `xbm', `gif', `jpeg', etc.) Instead of `FILE',
+use the image file name (e.g.
+`/usr/local/lib/xemacs-21.4/etc/recycle.xpm').
+
+ You can turn this to a function (that optionally prompts you for a
+file name), and inserts the glyph at `(point)' instead of `(point-min)'.
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q7.1.10, Next: Q7.1.11, Prev: Q7.1.9, Up: Advanced
+
+Q7.1.10: `map-extents' won't traverse all of my extents!
+--------------------------------------------------------
+
+I tried to use `map-extents' to do an operation on all the extents in a
+region. However, it seems to quit after processing a random number of
+extents. Is it buggy?
+
+ No. The documentation of `map-extents' states that it will iterate
+across the extents as long as FUNCTION returns `nil'. Unexperienced
+programmers often forget to return `nil' explicitly, which results in
+buggy code. For instance, the following code is supposed to delete all
+the extents in a buffer, and issue as many `fubar!' messages.
+
+ (map-extents (lambda (ext ignore)
+ (delete-extent ext)
+ (message "fubar!")))
+
+ Instead, it will delete only the first extent, and stop right there -
+because `message' will return a non-nil value. The correct code is:
+
+ (map-extents (lambda (ext ignore)
+ (delete-extent ext)
+ (message "fubar!")
+ nil))
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q7.1.11, Next: Q7.2.1, Prev: Q7.1.10, Up: Advanced
+
+Q7.1.11: My elisp program is horribly slow. Is there an easy way to find out where it spends time?
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Hrvoje Niksic <hniksic@xemacs.org> writes:
+
+ Under XEmacs 20.4 and later you can use `M-x profile-key-sequence',
+ press a key (say <RET> in the Gnus Group buffer), and get the
+ results using `M-x profile-results'. It should give you an idea of
+ where the time is being spent.
+
+7.2: Mathematics
+================
+
+\1f
+File: xemacs-faq.info, Node: Q7.2.1, Next: Q7.2.2, Prev: Q7.1.11, Up: Advanced
+
+Q7.2.1: What are bignums, ratios, and bigfloats in Lisp?
+--------------------------------------------------------
+
+Thanks to Jerry James <james@xemacs.org>, XEmacs 21.5.18 and later can
+use the capabilities of multiple-precision libraries that may be
+available for your platform. The GNU Multiple Precision (GMP) and BSD
+Multiple Precision (MP) libraries are partially supported. GMP gives
+you "bignums" (arbitrary precision integers), "ratios" (arbitrary
+precision fractions), and "bigfloats" (arbitrary precision floating
+point numbers). GNU MP is better-supported by XEmacs at the time of
+writing (2004-04-06). BSD MP support does not include ratios or
+bigfloats, and it throws errors that aren't understood.
+
+ In most cases, bignum support should be transparent to users and Lisp
+programmers. A bignum-enabled XEmacs will automatically convert from
+fixnums to bignums and back in pure integer arithmetic, and for GNU MP,
+from floats to bigfloats. (Bigfloats must be explicitly coerced to
+other types, even if they are exactly representable by less precise
+types.) The Lisp reader and printer have been enhanced to handle
+bignums, as have the mathematical functions. Rationals (fixnums,
+bignums, and ratios) are printed using the `%d', `%o', `%x', and `%u'
+format conversions. The read syntax for ratios is `3/5'.
+
+ User-visible changes in behavior include (in probable order of
+annoyance)
+
+ * Arithmetic can cause a segfault, depending on your MP library
+ *Note XEmacs segfaults when I use very big numbers!: Q7.2.2.
+
+ * Terminology is not Common-Lisp-conforming. For example, "integer"
+ for Emacs Lisp means what Common Lisp calls "fixnum". This issue
+ is being investigated, but the use of "integer" for fixnum is
+ pervasive and may cause backward-compatibility and
+ GNU-Emacs-compatibility problems.
+
+ * Many operations that used to cause a range error now succeed, with
+ intermediate results and return values coerced to bignums as
+ needed.
+
+ * An atom with ratio read syntax now returns a number, not a symbol.
+
+ * The `%u' format conversion will now give an error if its argument
+ is negative. (Without MP, it prints a number which Lisp can't
+ read.)
+
+ _Surgeon General's Warning_: The automatic conversions cannot be
+disabled at runtime. New functions have been added which produce
+ratios, so there should be few surprises with type conflicts, but they
+can't be ruled out. "Arbitrary" precision means precisely what it
+says. If you work with extremely large numbers, your machine may
+arbitrarily decide to hand you an unpleasant surprise rather than a
+bignum *Note XEmacs segfaults when I use very big numbers!: Q7.2.2.
+
+ To configure with GNU MP, add `--use-number-lib=gmp'
+(`--enable-bignum=gmp' in 21.5 or later) to your invocation of
+`configure'. For BSD MP, use `--use-number-lib=mp'
+(`--enable-bignum=mp' for 21.5).
+
+ If you would like to help with bignum support, especially on BSD MP,
+please subscribe to the XEmacs Beta mailing list
+(http://www.xemacs.org/Lists/#xemacs-beta), and book up on
+`number-gmp.h' and `number-mp.h'. Jerry has promised to write
+internals documentation eventually, but if your skills run more to
+analysis and documentation than to writing new code, feel free to fill
+in the gap!
projects / chise / xemacs-chise.git.1 / blobdiff