Making a presentation on Emacs

Finally got off my chair and did a small presentation on Emacs using this presentation (note PDF file) from a US based LUG. Done at the last minute, I decided to use a presentation along with the demo.

A couple of things that I should have done.

1. Get an OHP. Last minute request to the facilities resulted in all the OHPs being already booked for the day. Drat!
2. Inform the audience beforehand. Double drat! I should have given more thought into planning this presentation day, instead of a last minute email and rounding up attendees 10 minutes before start.
3. Doing it just after lunch doesn't seem be that good an idea. :-)

And, scaring your audience on the difficulty in learning it is not one of the brighter ideas either. Truth in advertising and all that, it was a bit difficult to encourage them to learn Emacs when their ignorance of basics of vi was all too apparent. They use vi regularly but I was initially surprised that they did not know what w, dw, yy does.

That does tend to jar your perception of how you want them to learn Emacs. On the plus side, there is very little to unlearn about vi, isn't it?

And going by the results of my presentation, I don't think I made a very favourable impression either. Came close to being a lead balloon.

The demo would have been better if the projecter had been available instead of getting everyone hunched over the laptop.

All in all, a so-so presentation by me and I have only myself to blame.