# Minimal ~/.emacs.d

This repository hosts a minimal Emacs configuration with `early-init.el` and `init.el` files. It is designed to serve as a base for your vanilla Emacs configuration.

These files are designed to optimize startup time, configure essential settings, and manage package installations efficiently.

## Installation

```
git clone https://github.com/jamescherti/minimal-emacs.d ~/.emacs.d
```

## Features

1. **Performance Improvements:**
   - Prefers loading newer compiled files.
   - Increases the amount read from processes in a single chunk.
   - Reduces rendering workload by not rendering cursors or regions in non-focused windows.
   - Disables warnings from the legacy advice API and suppresses warnings about aliased variables.
   - Avoids unnecessary network checks and excessive UI updates.
   - Disables font compacting to avoid high memory usage.
   - Customizes `file-name-handler-alist` for improved startup time and package load time.
   - Reduces startup screen and message noise, including removing the "For information about GNU Emacs..." message.
   - Configures Emacs to start with a scratch buffer in `fundamental-mode` to shave seconds off startup time.
   - Delays garbage collection during startup to improve performance and resets it to a more reasonable value once Emacs has started.

2. **Native Compilation and Byte Compilation:**
   - Configures `native-compile` settings
   - Suppresses compiler warnings and errors during native compilation.

4. **UI Element Management:**
   - Disables the startup screen and messages, including menu bar, tool bar, and scroll bars.
   - Configures Emacs to avoid resizing frames and minimizes unnecessary UI updates.

5. **Package Management:**
   - Configures package archives and priorities for MELPA, ELPA, and other repositories.

6. **Customizable Initialization Files:**
   - Supports additional configuration files (`pre-init.el`, `post-init.el`, `pre-early-init.el`, and `post-early-init.el`) to allow further customization at different stages of the startup process.

7. **File Management:**
   - Manages auto-save and backup files, including backup options and version control settings.

8. **User Experience Enhancements:**
   - Configures user interface settings such as cursor behavior, scrolling, and response to prompts.
   - Disables beeping and blinking to avoid distractions.

9. **Buffer and Window Configuration:**
   - Sets default fringe widths and buffer boundaries.
   - Configures smooth scrolling and cursor behavior for a more seamless editing experience.

## Update

To keep your Emacs configuration up to date, you can pull the latest changes from the repository. Run the following command in your terminal:

```
git -C ~/.emacs.d pull
```

## Customizations

The `init.el` and `early-init.el` files should never be modified directly because they are intended to be managed by Git during an update.

The minimal-emacs.d init files support additional customization files that are loaded at different stages of the Emacs startup process. These files allow you to further customize the initialization sequence:

- `~/.emacs.d/pre-init.el`: This file is loaded before `init.el`. Use it to set up variables or configurations that need to be available early in the initialization process but after `early-init.el`.

- `~/.emacs.d/post-init.el`: This file is loaded after `init.el`. It is useful for additional configurations or package setups that depend on the configurations in `init.el`.

- `~/.emacs.d/pre-early-init.el`: This file is loaded before `early-init.el`. Use it for configurations that need to be set even earlier in the startup sequence, typically affecting the initial setup of the Emacs environment.

- `~/.emacs.d/post-early-init.el`: This file is loaded after `early-init.el` but before `init.el`. It is useful for setting up configurations that depend on the early initialization but need to be set before the main initialization begins.

## License

Copyright (C) 2024 [James Cherti](https://www.jamescherti.com)

This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program.

## Links

- [minimal-emacs.d @GitHub](https://github.com/jamescherti/minimal-emacs.d)