`/usr/local/share/emacs/VERSION/lisp' holds the Emacs Lisp library;
`VERSION' stands for the number of the Emacs version
you are installing, like `18.59' or `19.27'. Since the
- lisp library changes from one version of Emacs to
+ Lisp library changes from one version of Emacs to
another, including the version number in the path
allows you to have several versions of Emacs installed
- at the same time; this means that you don't have to
- make Emacs unavailable while installing a new
- version.
+ at the same time; in particular, you don't have to
+ make Emacs unavailable while installing a new version.
- Emacs searches for its lisp files in
- `/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp', then in this
- directory.
+`/usr/local/share/emacs/VERSION/site-lisp' holds the local Emacs Lisp
+ files installed for Emacs version VERSION only.
+
+`/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp' holds the local Emacs Lisp
+ files installed for all Emacs versions.
+
+ When Emacs is installed, it searches for its Lisp files
+ in `/usr/local/share/emacs/VERSION/site-lisp', then in
+ `/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp', and finally in
+ `/usr/local/share/emacs/VERSION/lisp'.
`/usr/local/share/emacs/VERSION/etc' holds the Emacs tutorial, the DOC
file, the `yow' database, and other
If these directories are not what you want, you can specify where to
install Emacs's libraries and data files or where Emacs should search
-for its lisp files by giving values for `make' variables as part of
+for its Lisp files by giving values for `make' variables as part of
the command. See the section below called `MAKE VARIABLES' for more
information on this.
read-only data files that Emacs refers to while it runs; it
defaults to /usr/local/share. We create the following
subdirectories under `datadir':
- - `emacs/VERSION/lisp', containing the Emacs lisp library, and
+ - `emacs/VERSION/lisp', containing the Emacs Lisp library, and
- `emacs/VERSION/etc', containing the Emacs tutorial, the DOC
file, and the `yow' database.
`VERSION' is the number of the Emacs version you are installing,
The above variables serve analogous purposes in the makefiles for all
GNU software; here are some variables specific to Emacs.
-`lispdir' indicates where Emacs installs and expects its lisp library.
+`lispdir' indicates where Emacs installs and expects its Lisp library.
Its default value, based on `datadir' (see above), is
`/usr/local/share/emacs/VERSION/lisp' (where `VERSION' is as
described above).
-`locallisppath' indicates where Emacs should search for lisp files
+`locallisppath' indicates where Emacs should search for Lisp files
specific to your site. It should be a colon-separated list of
directories; Emacs checks them in order before checking
- `lispdir'. Its default value, based on `datadir' (see above),
- is `/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp'.
+ `lispdir'. Its default value, based on `datadir' (see above), is
+ `/usr/local/share/emacs/VERSION/site-lisp:/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp'.
`lisppath' is the complete list of directories Emacs should search for
- its lisp files; its default value is the concatenation of
- `lispdir' and `locallisppath'. It should be a colon-separated
+ its Lisp files; its default value is the concatenation of
+ `locallisppath' and `lispdir'. It should be a colon-separated
list of directories; Emacs checks them in the order they
appear.