EmacsConf 2025

EmacsConf 2025 wrapped up recently. I missed the live sessions but went through all the recordings. Here are notes and impressions from each talk.

• [2025-12-06 Sat]
  • Making Org-Babel Reactive
    • ob-rx lets org-babel blocks update automatically when inputs change.
  • One year progress update Schemacs (formerly Gypsum)
    • A PoC attempt to build an R7RS-native Emacs environment.
  • Emacs as a fully-fledged reference manager
    • A workflow using org-roam and org-noter in place of Zotero.
  • org-gmail
    • A surprisingly complete gmail integration for Emacs.
  • Juicemacs
    • Exploration of a speculative JIT for Elisp implemented in Java.
  • Swanky Python
    • A Python interface that works with SLIME. The interactive popup on right click is surprisingly clever.
  • Reading and writing emails with Gnus
    • A detailed walkthrough of modern Gnus setups.
  • Interactive Python programming
    • A look at REPL driven development. Worth remembering that most companies still expect TDD.
  • Basic Calc functionality
    • Might revisit when I eventually need the physics heavy features.
  • LLM driven workflows
    • Overview of packages such as copilot.el (for tab completion), gptel, claude-code.el, editor code assistant. Cool demo from TODO list to implementation.
  • Blee-LCNT
    • A content production and publishing framework that could be useful for academic projects.
  • Common Lisp images communicating
    • Dense talk. Might need another viewing to grasp the full idea.
  • Greader
    • A text reading mode with a surprisingly rich feature set.
  • Modern Emacs graphics
    • Still not entirely sure what I witnessed.
• [2025-12-07 Sun]
  • Emacs Reader
    • A faster document viewer that might replace some existing workflows.
  • corfu+yasnippet
    • Straightforward snippet and completion workflow demonstration.
  • Zettelkasten
    • Demonstrated a system that, in practice, is well covered by denote.
  • Gardening in Emacs
    • Digital gardening as a long term documentation practice. Essentially what I already do in org daily.
  • Bookclub tapas
    • A documentation workflow inspired by Bookclub, focusing on creating small, polished pieces of technical writing. Each tapa is a focused note or explanation designed to be easy to write, revise, and combine with others.

It was interesting to see how differently people set up their Emacs and how they use it day to day. I still wish more people at work would give Emacs a proper try. Learning org mode alone changed how I think and work by giving me better structure for goals, faster feedback through integrated API and database testing, and a clear place to research and document things. It works just as well for personal planning, like putting together a trip itinerary.

Plenty of people rely on Obsidian, Google Docs, or Jupyter notebooks for Personal Knowledge Management and eventually run into the limits of those tools. I hope Saint IGNUcius visits them soon.