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From: andy@Shasta.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.emacs
Subject: EMACS command set
Message-ID: <7795@Shasta.ARPA>
Date: Sun, 25-Aug-85 20:56:19 EDT
Article-I.D.: Shasta.7795
Posted: Sun Aug 25 20:56:19 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 28-Aug-85 10:41:27 EDT
References: <2552@think.ARPA>
Distribution: net
Organization: Stanford University
Lines: 22

> 
> There are some pretty good crib sheets summarizing the forty to fifty
> commands you will need to know to be effective.
>

I've been using Twenex EMACS for at least five years (probably closer to
seven) and I don't know forty commands yet.  My init file just loads the
buffer completion library and tells EMACS to use less space below the
mode line.  I use the time that wizards save (by using more commands)
to think.  (I don't use the version of Gosling EMACS that we have
because I saw no reason to relearn everything.  This problem may not
exist in later or commercial versions or GNU.  I've taken to using
elle instead, but it is a bit weak.)

I'm glad that a zillion commands exist.  I learn a new one every
once in a while, other people work differently, and power tools
are fun.  Still, it is not true that you have to learn "lots" of
commands to use EMACS.  I got by with fewer than 20 for quite a
while; the basic cursor movement and text manipulation commands
are very mnemonic.

-andy