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An introduction to using Emacs

*The head of a Gnu*.*

In this manual, I provide an introduction to Emacs --- the Unix-based text editor package. I describe how to perform fundamental operations that are common to most text editors. I also examine the more specialised aspects of Emacs which make it such a powerful and popular editor. These include editor modes, regular expressions, backups, Elisp programming, and customisation. I assume only a basic understanding of computing and explain the different elements of Emacs in plain english.

The guide is based on GNU Emacs Version 20.x. However, topics described represent the core of Emacs and are unlikely to change significantly in future versions. Plus, most of the information is valid for version 19.x. Whilst the guide is applicable to Emacs on any computer, I have also described additional features specific to Sun and PC workstations.

To find out more about GNU Emacs, click here.

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The manual is available in PostScript and PDF format or as a LaTeX2e source. For copyright information, click here.

emacs.ps.gz (228kb)
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emacs.tar.gz (93kb)

Copyright information

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included with the manual in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''.

Comments or suggestions for improvements are greatly appreciated. Send e-mail to g_beckett@lycos.co.uk.

* The `Head of a Gnu' image is copyright of The Free Software Foundation

Written by George Beckett