UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Buffers:

You can have multiple buffers (files) open at once. Only 1 or 2 will be visible, depending on whether you split your window.

To move between buffers, you can either:
1) select the buffer you want from the Buffers menu
2) "open" the file (If the file is already open, this just switches buffers.)

To close a buffer:
1) select "close buffer" or "delete buffer" from File or Buffers menu. (Different versions of emacs name this function differently. Do not worry, this does NOT delete the file; it just closes the buffer.)

See multiple buffers at once:
1) Split the screen (C-x C-2), then open a 2nd buffer in the 2nd window. (This is useful for viewing your code and compilation errors together.)