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diff --git a/2023/talks/unentangling.md b/2023/talks/unentangling.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..14993980 --- /dev/null +++ b/2023/talks/unentangling.md @@ -0,0 +1,166 @@ +[[!meta title="(Un)entangling projects and repos"]] +[[!meta copyright="Copyright © 2023 Alexey Bochkarev"]] +[[!inline pages="internal(2023/info/unentangling-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. ---> + + +# (Un)entangling projects and repos +Alexey Bochkarev (he/him) - <https://www.bochkarev.io>, @bochkarev@qoto.org (Mastodon) + +[[!inline pages="internal(2023/info/unentangling-before)" raw="yes"]] + +Emacs provides a few excellent tools for working on projects through +all their key stages. Orgmode is great for brainstorming, structuring +and maintaining TODO lists, tracking time, organizing notes, and +writing memos or reports. Many major modes help writing code, magit +makes version control almost frictionless, and projectile helps with +project management and navigation. However, I found a few situations +when I wanted to separate the concepts of "project" and "source +storage" (say, having a few version control repositories associated +with a single "generalized project"). + +In this talk, I would like: + +1. to describe a specific example of such situation, + +2. discuss a workflow aimed at managing such "generalized" projects +and present my solution, based on a very simple ELisp "glue" on top of +the functionality provided by package projectile. + +For example, consider a research project (think: applied mathematics with +a heavy part of computational experiments). It might consist of: + +- The ``paper'' draft: some sort of final report source, usually in + LaTeX format, or orgmode exported to PDF via LaTeX. Version controlled + by git. + +- Numerical experiments: a separate folder, or even a separate git + repo. Contains the source code for numerical experiments and the + related technical documentation. Will be published along with the + paper. + +- A collection of intermediate memos (notes) sent to collaborators. + +- A collection of "raw" notes (lab journal), regarding what did I try + and especially what did NOT work and in which ways. + +This setting raises a few problems that all boil down to the necessity +of having an easily accessible private notes file(s) associated with a +few repositories at the same time outside of these repos. This way one +can: + +- Maintain more granular project structure and TODOs while still having +more concise TODO lists for the colleagues on a per-repository basis. + +- Maintain (project-specific) private technical notes, and maybe a full + lab journal both describing the "big picture" of the project and + containing the technical information. + +- Keep time tracking data private and outside of the source repositories, + +- Capture thoughts and TODOs to a single place from across a few + specific repositories. + +I propose to solve this problem by associating a single "notes folder" +and a main `.org` file to each repository using the standard mechanism +of directory-local variables on top of what is already provided by +projectile package. + + +# Discussion + +## Questions and answers + +- Q: Do you use these unentangling techniques in a blog or hosting a + zettelkasten? + - A: Well, I try to keep my "private notes" in something that + might qualify as a Zettelkasten, yes. I wouldn't say I 'host' + it --- it's not online. But yes, the whole point is that + these "private" notes are interconnected in a Zettelkasten-y + way (using org-roam package) + - Denote notes Silo features might be useful with your + workflow + - <https://protesilaos.com/emacs/denote#h:e43baf95-f201-4fec-8620-c0eb5eaa1c85> + - oh, thanks --- I'll have a look! +- Q: What is the biggest unhappiness you haven't figured out for your + current workflow? + - A: Maybe I am still on the fence re: where do I structure my + TODOs and clock time. I tried to play around with the idea that + I structure the work in a repo, and then when I "clock in" it + saves time to a separate notes file instead... but it seemed a + little too complicated, to my taste. + - I feel that the time tracking also kind of annoying, + especially you forgot to clock on and all the things mess + up. So right now I'm just using a Pomodoro technique, 25 + minutes, done, rest, 25 minutes, rest, and kind of repeating + that. And I'm quite happy with that. + - wait, what's that? 'org-pomodoro'?. sounds + interesting... + - It's not, you know, special for Org Mode. It's + kind of a general technique which you focus on a + small task for just 25 minutes, but at the time + you're super focused, 100% focused, and after that + five minutes you rest, and you're kind of repeating + these patterns over long sections. You can do four, + five, six of those sections, and it helps me to + focus over relateive long time. + - I also feel this might be something really + useful. Just haven't found a way to incorporate + it into my workflow + - for me it's quite simple is I can just use + a simple stopwatch that every 25 minutes + stop and reminde me a rest. I believe + there's a lot of fancy clock specialized on + this this type of technique it's at the + core of this concept is really not a complex + idea. + - wait, I'm confused. So, that's outside + Emacs right? :-) + - Yes, the concept is outside of + Emacs, but I saw people using this + package. Let me search,: + <https://github.com/marcinkoziej/org-pomodoro> + <-- yeah, that one. Maybe I'll + have a look, thanks! + - Yeah, it's, again, if you're + familiar with the sports, it's + kind of making your long hard + working, breaking into a small + section, but I feel it's, you + have more kind of energy over a + long term, yeah. + - I like Using a weekly GTD log files for my TODO. That way I + can look back at them and not have my GTD to big. I like to + pull daily tasks from agenda + - and what do you do to transfer stuff between the weeks + --- a manual review? +- Q: Do you use project.el features as well, or just projectile.el + ones? + - A: Ugh. OK, I am at that point where I am not sure any more ;) + it is pretty well integrated to my Doom Emacs, so I am not sure + which one is that... + +## Notes + +- GNU Hyperbole already supports this with directory-specific quick + access button files (which can be Org files). These can connect to + any number and type of document artifacts, including projects, + repos, directories, etc. You don't need to put any code in + dir-locals either. The directory/project-specific tags jumping + (automatically selecting appropriate TAGS files) is also built-in. + Have a look. + - Yes, there's clearly a few ways to achieve this. I have a + feeling Hyperbole achieves this, and much more. I wanted to have + something simpler, somehow. (Yes, you seem to have some very + efficient techniques down; maybe you could utilize both). + Thanks for the talk, it was good. Thanks for the suggestion, + tho! + + +[[!inline pages="internal(2023/info/unentangling-after)" raw="yes"]] + +[[!inline pages="internal(2023/info/unentangling-nav)" raw="yes"]] + + |