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+++ title = "Weekend thoughts - Mastering Emacs by Mickey Petersen" publishDate = 2022-10-08T00:00:00+02:00 lastmod = 2024-12-08T04:04:33+01:00 tags = ["emacs", "review"] categories = ["books"] draft = false meta = true type = "list" [menu] [menu.posts] weight = 3001 identifier = "weekend-thoughts-mastering-emacs-by-mickey-petersen" +++
Over The Past few weeks I've found myself spending more and more time in Emacs. As such, I want to learn more about it, and how to use it effectively. It seems worth the effort, because if I save 5 seconds every day, that stacks up and saves inordinate amounts of time.
It's a lot like training to type faster and more accurately. If I can finish the tasks before me 10% faster, that means that I get that 10% more free time. Which I like, because it lets me occupy my mind with other efficiency fixes.
In researching how to use Emacs better, I stumbled upon Mickey Petersen's website. He's got a wonderful blog with loads of tips, and is selling a book, Mastering Emacs.
I do admit that it is a bit pricey for my tastes (at least compared to simply reading the blog and reading the documentation). Nonetheless, it is exceedingly accurate in explaining the very fundamentals, the core of Emacs, and the functionality.
I'm about halfway through it, and it certainly merits a second read once my brain isn't so occupied with work.
I think the most important part of 'Mastering Emacs', and what justifies the book in my mind, is that it explains some very advanced functionality (e.g. point and mark, occur mode in isearch) which isn't present in other software that I am aware of, in a way that's lucid, approachable, and easily comprehensible.
Of note, and the reason I have come to love this book, is its mention and clarification of imenu. I was not aware of its existence, and given that I extensively work with org-mode files, it has become by far my preferred way of navigating them.
As if turns out, Doom Emacs has it bound by default to C-c s i, which while not a perfect binding on Colemak (s is right above c - they're hit with the same finger), is absolutely wonderful to have.
In any case, the book is worth it. Some of it is already in the blog posts on the website, but frankly - even if all were there, it's still worth a buy to use as a guidebook for explaining Emacs to people who don't yet understand the power that is in their grasp.
Good read. Might update this after I finish the book, if I have time or any thoughts to add.