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diff --git a/2023/talks/mentor.md b/2023/talks/mentor.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..21b53045 --- /dev/null +++ b/2023/talks/mentor.md @@ -0,0 +1,144 @@ +[[!meta title="Mentoring VS-Coders as an Emacsian (or How to show not tell people about the wonders of Emacs)"]] +[[!meta copyright="Copyright © 2023 Jeremy Friesen"]] +[[!inline pages="internal(2023/info/mentor-nav)" raw="yes"]] + +<!-- Initially generated with emacsconf-publish-talk-page and then left alone for manual editing --> +<!-- You can manually edit this file to update the abstract, add links, etc. ---> + + +# Mentoring VS-Coders as an Emacsian (or How to show not tell people about the wonders of Emacs) +Jeremy Friesen (he/him) - Pronunciation: JERR-im-EE FREE-SEHN, https://takeonrules.com, <mailto:jeremy@jeremyfriesen.com> + +[[!inline pages="internal(2023/info/mentor-before)" raw="yes"]] + +[[!template id="help" +volunteer="" +summary="Q&A could be indexed with chapter markers" +tags="help_with_chapter_markers" +message="""The Q&A session for this talk does not have chapter markers yet. +Would you like to help? See [[help_with_chapter_markers]] for more details. You can use the vidid="mentor-qanda" if adding the markers to this wiki page, or e-mail your chapter notes to <emacsconf-submit@gnu.org>."""]] + +<https://takeonrules.com/2023/12/03/mentoring-vs-coders-as-an-emacsian/> + +Join me as I share some anecdotes and approaches for mentoring other +developers who use tools different from mine; all in service of +furthering a shared understanding, sharpening my own toolkit, and +hopefully helping others grow their capabilities. + +Most everyone I mentor has chosen VS Code as their editor; yet I don’t +use VS Code. Our pairing and mentoring sessions are about me being +curious about their habits and modes of operation. I use my journeyman +knowledge of what Emacs can do to help these VS Coders navigate +pathways towards sharpening their skills. I also learn a few editor +tricks from them. + +I’ll talk about remote pairing sessions, one-on-one sessions, and +larger show-and-tell efforts; each with the purpose of revealing +potentially different approaches. The idea being that asking questions +and showing alternate approaches can begin to illuminate previously +unknown pathways. + +The underlying goal is to ignite in folks a desire to improve their +understanding and usage of their preferred tools; and show +alternatives that might peek further interest in learning and +exploration. + +About the speaker: + +Jeremy Friesen is a long-time software developer but only recently an +Emacs convert (as of May 2020). For most of his career he has been +writing open source software for educational institutions such as +universities, libraries, archives, and museums. He’s mentored several +dozen developers at his places of employment as well as through +volunteer efforts. He strives to meet people where they are, learn how +they are looking to grow, then working with them to grow; often by +nudging folks to practice and explore their tools. +# Discussion + +## Questions and answers + +- Q: re: super-. -- which key do you bind to super? then where is + meta? + - A:mac: ctrl-meta-super---space---hyper-meta-ctrl (caps lock + as ctrl) +- Q:Great talk; what's the package you use to make the Org slide? + - A: prot's logos, olivetti mode? I have a minor mode that I + turned on: + <https://github.com/jeremyf/dotemacs/blob/2c5d37c2d0cc3f0433bc4588352bd6bf5bd09460/emacs.d/jf-framing.el#L109-L123> +- Q: If people do get interested in picking up Emacs because of what + they see you do, how do you recommend they get into it? + - A: A lot of it comes down to the problems that they're trying + to solve. I worked in TextMate for a long time, then Sublime, + then Atom... I chose Spacemacs, and then I chose Doom, and then + I said, wait, start over, erase everything, start with the + tutorial. I said, I really want this functionality. Then I went + and figured out how to do it. Helping ask them, "What do you + really want to do?" Ex: okay to advise people to go back to + vim, develop ownership of their editor. **Understand the + problems they're experiencing,** which tends to be what we + should do in software development. Take the time to walk with + them on their journey to understand what's frustrating them. + Story about a mentee learning to ask questions earlier (not + focused on navigating editor). +- Q: I've been using Emacs for about 30 years and I find it really + difficult to figure out how to help people get started with it. Uh + ... so I guess my question is the same as the green question right + above this. + - A: My wife a while ago talked about the idea of being in between + someone who's more informed and someone who's less informed. + Introducing someone who's new to Emacs might be too hard + because you're too much an expert. Pedagogy. Sharing what you + have where you're at will by nature move the entire queue of + people behind you, will help move them together forward. Not an + only one person thing, improving shared understanding. + - Zone of proximal development; just i + 1 - Lev Vygotsky + - It can be very challenging to unwind things. Muscle memory. + I know how to do it on a keyboard... We've internalized so + much. Being curious with them and close to them, trying to + diffuse questions and not ask overly leading questions... + - What is the question that I can ask the group so that I can + ask the question? ex: not "Why do we suck at sharing + code?", but before that + - I'm also 30 years in (at least) and just recently picked up + JF's method of only giving away a little bit of the + functionality of emacs at a time. +- Q:Have you encountered anyone that are being... "nagative" about + the fact that you're using Emacs? (Assuming that they just don't + know/have misconceptions about Emacs and nothing malicious.) If so, + how do you handle these kinds of people? + - A: Analogy with a pen: my goal is to write something, who cares + about what kind of pen I use? + - I want my text editor to flow with me. + - I don't need it to multi-thread-- it's just me on the + computer. + - "My goal is to be better at computering." +- Q: I love the attitudes and worldview that infuses your blog posts + and your talks this weekend. Learn something every week: it's + CUMULATIVE. English class was the most important. What other advice + do you have, and how is it generalizable to those of us who are not + devs? + - A: fountain-mode (package for writing screenplays) + - Wonderful answers! Thanks so much! + - Broad curiosity (ex: background is liberal arts, very little + computer science classwork/theory; Lord of the Rings, poetry, + etc.) + +## Notes + +- Presenter blogs at <https://takeonrules.com> +- such valuable work being described +- I wonder if there is still reasons to use ag compared to ripgrep + - it can search compressed archives better, so I like using it on emacs sources + - <https://github.com/aswild/the_silver_searcher/commit/7b571a8a94d0e22a06e3313cb0d9672b416fb2c1> + - yeah indeed, ripgrep shells out and is five times slower than ag +- Hyper modifier is tops. On normie keyboards, I like super, meta, space, meta, hyper. 100% do not regret switching to a split ergo mechanical QMK board. + - On my work Mac, caps is control, I don't have a super, and it's meta-space-meta-hyper. But I almost never use that, because the keyboard is deeply unpleasant to actually type on. The sole thing I like better about Emacs on macOS over Emacs on Linux is that it's a oneliner to set the Hyper modifier. Linux requires delving deep into the forbidden territory of xkb. <https://codeberg.org/ieure/xkbsucks> if you need a guide + - my mac setup is the same as him but reversed: command is control, option is meta (like him) and control is super cuz i use super all the time. and hyper, like him, is on the right of the keyboard. +- (discussion about fountain pens) + + +[[!inline pages="internal(2023/info/mentor-after)" raw="yes"]] + +[[!inline pages="internal(2023/info/mentor-nav)" raw="yes"]] + + |