Does this happen to you? Aquamacs messes with you! (but I still like my Mac)

Does this happen to you? Aquamacs messes with you! (but I still like my Mac)

[Ben Alexander]

I normally use Aquamacs.  It's very pretty, and uses the mouse without  
having to start an X server.  But I'm starting to get a bit cheesed  
about all the things that don't work with org-mode (I have FINALLY got  
a fixed width font for the tab bar, so my column mode headings line up  
with the text in the buffer!!!)

New problem: I have a very simple org mode buffer

* TODO Mealplans
** Mealplan Fri

If I go into column view and my cursor is the beginning of the file  
and I hit the down arrow, my cursor moves to the beginning of the next  
column (From the default column of ITEM to TODO).  This happens  
everywhere, somewhat randomly.

I switched to the command line version of emacs, and this didn't happen.

My first thought was to check keyboard bindings.  In emacs C-n and  
<down> map to next-line, but in Aquamacs they map to visual-line- 
down.  If I toggle visual-line-mode, the problem goes away (under  
quick testing)

My question for the list.

1) Does anyone use visual-line-mode with org?  Use it and like, I mean.

2) How did this happen to me?  Is this an Aquamacs default that I can  
customize back to 'normal'?  I can't find visual-line-mode documented  
in the info pages for Emacs.

3) On my mode line, I have a (Org vl Fill).  the 'vl' does not go away  
when I toggle visual-line-mode.  What is that? Another irritant lurking?

-------

Ok, I let this email sit awhile (never click send when angry!)

If anyone else is living with this, I have an answer for 2) and 3)

2) Answer: Aquamacs has a customization group 'Aquamacs Is More Than  
Emacs'.  This will be my first stop for the next irritation .

3) Answer: That customization group has an option for 'global-visual- 
line-mode'.  Toggle that and the 'vl' goes away.

Just in case anyone is wondering (because of all my complaining), I  
should advertise that Mac OS is a great machine for emacs users.  For  
example, I'm still using Apple's Mail program and many emacs key  
strokes work auto-magically.  C-n and C-p work visually, and C-f and C- 
b work normally, and  C-a and C-e work on logical lines.  Even C-k and  
C-y just work inside of most of the UI textboxes.  Strangely, killing  
a line means you can yank it, even into another window, but it's a  
different clipboard than cmd-C and cmd-V.  Even C-t works. Alas, C-u C- 
f does NOT work.

None of this seems documented, so I don't know what other easter eggs  
are lurking, but I don't get frustrated moving from my org-mode buffer  
into an Apple Mail window just because of the typing.  Aquamacs does  
let transient mark mode with with the shift-mouse-click, and cmd-C  
lets me pull text out of Aquamacs and into Mail.

I'd bet that many of you on a mac already know this because of how  
hard it is to NOT type a C-p when you want to go up!

Anyway, thanks for listening to the rant, and I hope it helps someone  
out there.

-Ben Alexander

Re: Does this happen to you? Aquamacs messes with you! (but I still like my Mac)

[Peter Jones]

Ben Alexander <ben@alexanderonline.org> writes:
> I normally use Aquamacs.  It's very pretty, and uses the mouse without
> having to start an X server.

[snip]

Ben, Aquamacs isn't the only option for Emacs on Mac OS X, it's actually
the worst option for Emacs on Mac OS X, IMHO.

Either build a Carbon Emacs 22.3 from macports, or download one of the
Emacs 23 pre-release builds from http://porkrind.org/emacs/.

Personally, I use Emacs built from macports:

  $ sudo port install emacs +atsui +carbon

Aquamacs is a highly altered version of Carbon Emacs, meant to act more
like a Mac application.  My problem with it is that it does so at the
cost of normal Emacs functionality.

But don't take my word for it, hop on #emacs and ask there ;)

-- 
Peter Jones, http://pmade.com
pmade inc.  Louisville, CO US

Re: Re: Does this happen to you? Aquamacs messes with you! (but I still like my Mac)

[Peter Frings]

On 07 Nov 2008, at 16:33, Peter Jones wrote:

> Ben Alexander <ben@alexanderonline.org> writes:
>> I normally use Aquamacs.  It's very pretty, and uses the mouse  
>> without
>> having to start an X server.
>
> [snip]
>
> Ben, Aquamacs isn't the only option for Emacs on Mac OS X, it's  
> actually
> the worst option for Emacs on Mac OS X, IMHO.

I second that. I've been using Carbon Emacs 22.2.50.1 and its  
predecessors for years now, trying Aquamacs now and then, but never  
felt the urge to switch. Do check it out.

The 'official' stable release is on http://homepage.mac.com/zenitani/emacs-e.html 
  -- and I just noticed he's got the 22.3 release available :-)

Cheers,
Peter.

Re: Re: Does this happen to you? Aquamacs messes with you! (but I still like my Mac)

[Matthew Lundin]

Peter Frings <peter.frings@agfa.com> writes:

> On 07 Nov 2008, at 16:33, Peter Jones wrote:
>
>> Ben Alexander <ben@alexanderonline.org> writes:
>>> I normally use Aquamacs.  It's very pretty, and uses the mouse
>>> without
>>> having to start an X server.
>>
>> [snip]
>>
>> Ben, Aquamacs isn't the only option for Emacs on Mac OS X, it's
>> actually
>> the worst option for Emacs on Mac OS X, IMHO.
>
> I second that. I've been using Carbon Emacs 22.2.50.1 and its
> predecessors for years now, trying Aquamacs now and then, but never
> felt the urge to switch. Do check it out.

I third that. Carbon Emacs is the only emacs package for OS X that
works like Emacs is supposed to. It also comes with a lot more elisp
goodness (i.e., more packages) by default. IMHO, Aquamacs tries to
make Emacs behave like a very simple Carbon program (e.g., like Text
Edit).

Matt

Re: Re: Does this happen to you? Aquamacs messes with you! (but I still like my Mac)

[William Henney]

Hi list

On Mon, Nov 10, 2008 at 9:57 AM, Matthew Lundin <mdl@imapmail.org> wrote:
> I third that. Carbon Emacs is the only emacs package for OS X that
> works like Emacs is supposed to. It also comes with a lot more elisp
> goodness (i.e., more packages) by default. IMHO, Aquamacs tries to
> make Emacs behave like a very simple Carbon program (e.g., like Text
> Edit).

Just for the record, I have to disagree. As a long-time emacs user
(about 18 years), I am pretty happy with Aquamacs. To be honest, for
anyone who has any significant personal customizations, the
differences between different emacs "distros" on the Mac are pretty
slight. There is also I believe an "Enhanced Carbon Emacs" add-on for
Aquamacs that contains the extra packages that you mention. One detail
that I like with Aquamacs, which I don't think is present in other
emacs versions, is that you can drag the file icon from the Aquamacs
menubar onto other applications. Useful for attaching files to mail
messages for instance. Shame you can't drag from a dired buffer
though...

If you want to live on the cutting edge, there is also a Cocoa-based
emacs (emacs-app.sourceforge.net), which now seems to be in the main
emacs development trunk. Supposedly, Aquamacs plans to transition to
being based on this in the medium term. Last time I tried it, it was
pretty flaky though.

Cheers

Will

-- 

  Dr William Henney, Centro de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica,
  Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Morelia

Re: Re: Does this happen to you? Aquamacs messes with you! (but I still like my Mac)

[Matthew Lundin]

"William Henney" <whenney@gmail.com> writes:

> Hi list
>
> On Mon, Nov 10, 2008 at 9:57 AM, Matthew Lundin <mdl@imapmail.org> wrote:
>> I third that. Carbon Emacs is the only emacs package for OS X that
>> works like Emacs is supposed to. It also comes with a lot more elisp
>> goodness (i.e., more packages) by default. IMHO, Aquamacs tries to
>> make Emacs behave like a very simple Carbon program (e.g., like Text
>> Edit).
>
> Just for the record, I have to disagree. As a long-time emacs user
> (about 18 years), I am pretty happy with Aquamacs. To be honest, for
> anyone who has any significant personal customizations, the
> differences between different emacs "distros" on the Mac are pretty
> slight. There is also I believe an "Enhanced Carbon Emacs" add-on for
> Aquamacs that contains the extra packages that you mention. 

I stand corrected. It's always good to hear that something is better
than one thinks. 

Matt