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From: Noah Friedman <friedman@splode.com>
To: xemacs-beta@xemacs.org
Subject: Re: Expanding directories in `load-path'
Reply-To: friedman@splode.com
In-Reply-To: <hniksic@srce.hr> , 10 Jul 1997 18:15:18 +0200
References: <kigzprys40i.fsf@jagor.srce.hr>
	<m2en9axoyu.fsf@altair.xemacs.org>
	<kigsoxqs1qk.fsf@jagor.srce.hr>
	<199707080254.WAA31496@news.smart.net>
	<m2zpryw6w2.fsf@altair.xemacs.org>
	<l2iuymm4e8.fsf@chaos.hut.fi>
	<87n2ny2cti.fsf@bittersweet.inetarena.com>
	<m2oh8e0xna.fsf@altair.xemacs.org>
	<kigd8ouhsfv.fsf@jagor.srce.hr>
	<rjiuylygdw.fsf@zuse.dina.kvl.dk>
	<m2oh8dwyur.fsf@altair.xemacs.org>
	<by3eppr5ug.fsf@midget.math.ethz.ch>
	<kigiuylk4ow.fsf@jagor.srce.hr>
	<ocrlo3h7g7h.fsf@ml.com>
	<kigafjxk352.fsf@jagor.srce.hr>
	<ocriuyl7evs.fsf@ml.com>
	<ixiuyjnims.fsf@balder.i-did-not-set--mail-host-address--so-shoot-me>
	<kigiuyidgtl.fsf@jagor.srce.hr>

>> Why not use ~/.emacs.d/... and ~/.xemacs.d/... as the directories?
>
>Noah, come on!  Blow us away!

    $ cd ~/lib/elisp && find * -type d ! -name 'CVS' -print
    emacs-18
    emacs-19
    emacs-19c
    emacs-19c/.init
    common
    friedman
    friedman/term
    misc
    xemacs-19
    xemacs-19c
    xemacs-19c/.init
    $ cd ~/etc/init && find * -type d -name emacs -print
    emacs
    local/emacs
    $

I'd say there are probably three categories of people who use emacs, with
regard to having personal lisp code.  

    1) Users who don't have any, for which a personal lisp directory is
       harmless but unnecessary.

    2) Users who have a small number of programs they use with a single
       version of emacs or xemacs; they may or may not byte-compile them.

    3) nerds who use multiple versions or variants of emacs and need
       separate directories for bytecode, etc.

The suggestion to use ~/elisp or ~/personal-lisp satisfies two out of the
three categories.  The third can be counted on to keep doing what they've
always been doing.

My vote is for ~/elisp, because it's short and because it doesn't presume
any knowledge of the user's personal directory structure.  They can always
change it in their .emacs.

