Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!amdcad!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!LF-SERVER-2.BBN.COM!jr
From: jr@LF-SERVER-2.BBN.COM (John Robinson)
Newsgroups: comp.emacs
Subject: commonly asked GNU questions
Message-ID: <8801241956.AA24121@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 24 Jan 88 19:22:05 GMT
References: <8801222100.AA21296@mitre-bedford.ARPA>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: jr@BBN.COM
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 46

Freedman reiterated some common questions; here's what I typically do
when I see them:

1.  How do I get GNU emacs?

   I send the file etc/DISTRIB from the distribution.

2.  How do I cope with flow control?

   I send a file of mine I have been trying to perfect that I hope
   someday to see included in the distribution.  (I'll send or post it
   if there's interest.)

3.  How do I avoid lousy scrolling in sunview terminal windows?

   I send the file etc/SUN-SUPPORT from the distribution.

There probably should be a fourth one:

4.  How do I get function-key bindings to work on the <random
terminal or workstation>?

I don't yet have a good response for this one.  Anyone want to try to
write a decent response to include in the above list?  I try to point
people at the files in lisp/term/; typically vt100.el is a good enough
place to start.

Lesson: the distribution already includes a lot of helpful information
from people who have been through these things already, perhaps many
times.  If the distribution can handle the work of helping the novice
out, it will save site support people and kind responders on this list
a lot of time.  Anyone trying to further this cause should be prepared
to make suggestions into the form of a submission of files/changes to
FSF for whatever future release.

Similar responses for similar questions about other Emacs variants are
of course also needed; since I am not an active user of any other of
them I have chosen not to attempt this.  However, I would be willing
to forward appropriate files if someone would send them.  Again, they
could go into the GNU distribution as well.  (I'm thinking of a file
called say OTHER-EMACS-EDITORS or NOT-GNU-EMACSES or something).

Just trying to spread the word...

/jr
jr@bbn.com or jr@bbn.uucp