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(emacs-lisp-intro.info)Who You Are

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For Whom This is Written
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   This text is written as an elementary introduction for people who are
not programmers.  If you are a programmer, you may not be satisfied with
this primer.  The reason is that you may have become expert at reading
reference manuals and be put off by the way this text is organized.

   An expert programmer who reviewed this text said to me:

     I prefer to learn from reference manuals.  I "dive into" each
     paragraph, and "come up for air" between paragraphs.

     When I get to the end of a paragraph, I assume that that subject is
     done, finished, that I know everything I need (with the possible
     exception of the case when the next paragraph starts talking about
     it in more detail).  I expect that a well written reference manual
     will not have a lot of redundancy, and that it will have excellent
     pointers to the (one) place where the information I want is.

   This introduction is not written for this person!

   Firstly, I try to say everything at least three times: first, to
introduce it; second, to show it in context; and third, to show it in a
different context, or to review it.

   Secondly, I hardly ever put all the information about a subject in
one place, much less in one paragraph.  To my way of thinking, that
imposes too heavy a burden on the reader.  Instead I try to explain
only what you need to know at the time.  (Sometimes I include a little
extra information so you won't be surprised later when the additional
information is formally introduced.)

   When you read this text, you are not expected to learn everything the
first time.  Frequently, you need only make, as it were, a `nodding
acquaintance' with some of the items mentioned.  My hope is that I have
structured the text and given you enough hints that you will be alert to
what is important, and concentrate on it.

   You will need to "dive into" some paragraphs; there is no other way
to read them.  But I have tried to keep down the number of such
paragraphs.  This book is intended as an approachable hill, rather than
as a daunting mountain.

   This introduction to `Programming in Emacs Lisp' has a companion
document, Note: The GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual.  The
reference manual has more detail than this introduction.  In the
reference manual, all the information about one topic is concentrated
in one place.  You should turn to it if you are like the programmer
quoted above.  And, of course, after you have read this `Introduction',
you will find the `Reference Manual' useful when you are writing your
own programs.