Use GNU Emacs the Plain Text Computing Environment

A practical, wide-ranging manual that presents GNU Emacs as a programmable plain-text computing environment and near-term Lisp machine: an enduring, highly customizable platform that acts more like an operating system for text work than a simple editor. It argues that Emacs’s power comes from Emacs Lisp - every keystroke can invoke arbitrary code - making it invaluable for automation, accessibility, cross-platform continuity, and varied roles from simple note-taking to software development and systems work. The text frames Emacs as durable across GUIs and operating systems and especially useful for users who rely on nonstandard interfaces.

The substance is exhaustive and hands-on: installation and quickstart; the screen, mode line and minibuffer; keybindings and command notation; buffers, windows, frames, and file handling; editing primitives (point, mark, region, kill ring); search, replace, regex, greps and multi-buffer tools; Dired and external commands; modes (major/minor), completion and help systems (apropos, Info); unlimited undo/redo; keyboard macros and programmable workflows; the Customize facility and package manager; handling PDFs, images, archives and remote files; backups, autosave, and troubleshooting. Practical specifics include init-file configuration, customization persistence, examples of macros and packages, and guidance for novices through advanced users.