Álvaro Ramírez

Ollama Get up and running with large language models.

Hear ya and have nuanced thoughts around the topic. There are free alternatives and some running locally also. I personally don’t submit personal details to cloud ones. If looking for local/free ollama.com is an option. My emacs chatgpt-shell works with that also (no need for API key)

Getting an API key and pre-paying OpenAI is probably the more annoying part of setup. Google offers some free usage, but you still need an API key if you want to use from Emacs. Once you have a key, you can try whichever Emacs package you prefer. I happen to build a comint shell one.

It's just another tool in the toolbox. If it doesn't do what I need, I move on. AFAIU, Tuesday is more or less drinks/chat, but sure maybe we can play around with things too.

6. Venturing. I'm more likely to venture into the unknown (ie. new programming language, environment, etc) if I can quickly get my questions answered. [7/7]

@nicferrier.bsky.social those are prolly the main ones. As mentioned, I'm fairly targetted so I'm in control of overall design/implementation.

5. Throwaway scripts. I may need a one-off script to handle some grunt work. Not too bothered by the code (I'll throw it away anyway). [6/x]

4. Reference or howto lookup. Typical web searches just aren't as effective anymore:

1. Search
2. Browse
3. Avoid fake sites.
4. Click on result
5. Skim (not good result)
6. Go back to 2.

LLM can certainly halucinate, but if I got the answer in a "cache hit" I don't have to do 1-6. [5/x]

The format conversion isn't that impresive if we already enjoy Emacs macros and multiple cursors...

3. Grunt work. Not hard but time-consuming... Example, I wanted to map a list of MET Norway API symbols to macOS SF Symbols. Asked for mapping then asked to format as cons list. Of course, needs to be verified, but getting first draft in seconds is a boost. [4/x]

xenodium.com/a-richer-jou... [4/x]

2. Select a function, describe the bug and ask to find it. This only takes a few seconds, if there's a cache it, it's a significant productivity boost (no need for a manual debugging session). [3/x]

1. I write a function signature + ask for implementation. If I take the code, I'm basically answering "will it be faster to write from scratch or clean the LLM code up?". Often, starting from crappy code gets my brain quickly thinking of the problem thoroughly (edge cases surface quicker). [2/x]

I do most coding manually still and treat the LLM as a cache of sorts. When I get a cache hit (ie. I like LLM output enough), I take the productivity boost. Otherwise, move on and write myself... I'm fairly intentional/specific about what I ask.

Some use-cases off the top of my head... [1/x]

Do you mean the "function calling" feature specifically or LLMs for coding?

Finally having a play with function calling on #emacs chatgpt-shell #chatgpt #openai #ai #llm If all goes well, will extend to #gemini and #claude

M-x drinks, Tue, Aug 12, 2025, 6:30 PM | Meetup 'M-x drinks' is our next Emacs London meetup, taking place at the Barbican Centre on Tuesday 12 August, from 6:30 PM. It's an informal get-together, with no talks planned,

Fancy chatting #emacs things in #london? Come hang out at the Barbican Centre next week www.meetup.com/london-emacs...

Prolly whatever is quickest for you to prototype and validate use case.

Best way! :)

Quite a few new editor contenders (extended/powered by LLMs). While #Emacs isn't winning some of that market share, it has so much potential to have awesome integrations (we already do have quite a few).

Thanks! Lots of great suggestions on the fediverse toot indieweb.social/@xenodium/11...

What #firefox extensions are indispensable to you? It's been a long while since I've added anything. This is what I got:

- Cookie AutoDelete
- Decentraleyes
- Firefox Multi-Account Containers
- Privacy Badger
- Temporary Containers
- uBlock Origin

#privacy #oss #foss #web #browser

macOS dictations is coming back to Emacs

My fix was merged upstream ✌️🎉

xenodium.com/macos-dictat... #emacs #macos

#london #hammersmith #photography

A digital painting of the android 2B from Nier: Automata. She is wearing a long dark blue and purple pleated skirt, a kimono-style black top with long sleeves, and a white collared sleeveless top underneath. 2B is holding a katana sword behind her back as if she has just unsheathed it. The textured backgrounds blends between blue and orange.

Have a 2B in a neat outfit I found #NierAutomata

Writing experience: My decade with Org While I missed Emacs Carnival's Take two, with this month's prompt being Writing Experience, I figured I may have a thing or two to share about my Org...

I'm joining the carnival! 🎪 🎡 🎢 🤹 🍭

"My decade with Org" is my post for the Emacs Carnival
xenodium.com/writing-expe...

Thank you @gregnewman.bsky.social‬ for hosting this month

#emacs #carnival #org #orgmode #plaintext #markdown #oss

Screenshot of the App Store in Spain, showing Journelly as the numebr 1 paid lifestyle app

Today, #Journelly is the #1 paid lifestyle app in Spain 🇪🇸 🎉

apps.apple.com/es/charts/ip... #plaintext #notes #journaling

The image shows a traditional Japanese work apron made of dark blue fabric. The apron has two long, thick orange straps with a white black pattern hanging from each side, allowing it to be tied around the waist. Near the top left, there is a small zippered pocket. Printed on the center front in white, there is a design featuring three white triangles arranged in such a way that they form a larger triangle with a smaller, inverted triangle of dark blue in the center. Japanese text is printed in several places around the triangles, both above and below them. This is likely the logo and branding for a company. The overall appearance is utilitarian, traditional, and practical.

This is a close-up photo of a shipping label from a package sent via Japan Post. Key details visible in the image: - **Japan Post** is printed in bold red letters at the top. - There is a white and green section labeled "**International ePacket Light**" and "Dispatch Note." - The label includes a "**Small Packet**" and “Express” icon. - On the left, there is a red postage stamp with Japanese writing. It says: - "NIPPON" (Japan) - "1240" (which may be the postage amount) - “村上久保多町 MURAKAMI KUBOTAMACHI” (the post office location) - A decorative bird illustration - The date: "18.07.25" (July 25, 2018) - The customs declaration section lists “JAPAN” as the origin and checkboxes for various package types like "Commercial sample" and "Sale of goods," none of which appear selected. The label is primarily in Japanese and English. The overall look is official, structured, and busy with text, boxes, and small print, typical for international parcels.

I recently found out rakuten.co.jp ships internationally and it's dangerously awesome, 'cause who doesn't need a tradiitional #japanese apron (maekake) anything.ne.jp/en/pages/mae... #japan #cooking #baking #sourdough

✨ New blog post ✨

Interactive ordering of dired items

xenodium.com/interactive-...

#emacs #oss #elisp #lisp #dired #imagemagick

✨ New blog post ✨

Patching your Homebrew's Emacs Plus (macOS)

xenodium.com/patching-you...

#emacs #macos #homebrew #oss #elisp #lisp

Need your help #macos #emacs folks 👋

We lost dictation on Emacs v30. I've just submited a patch to hopefully fix it (and hopefully not break something else!).

Could you please give it a try and report back? debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugrepor...

Maybe executable-find already used elsewhere... Or newer magit already does (and I hadn't updated). As long as you're not using the macOS-shipped git binary, you're likely fine.