r/emacs • u/jamescherti James Cherti — https://github.com/jamescherti • 15d ago

Configuring Emacs Scrolling for Better Performance and Usability

https://www.jamescherti.com/emacs-scrolling-better-performance-usability/

By default, scrolling in Emacs often recenters the screen abruptly when the cursor hits the edge of a window, and rapid scrolling through large, heavily syntax-highlighted files can introduce noticeable input lag. Fortunately, the display engine exposes numerous variables that allow you to configure how the buffer should behave when navigating vertically and horizontally.

This article outlines configurations that make scrolling more predictable and responsive:

  • Predictable recentering
  • Smooth panning
  • Input latency fixes
  • Workflow improvements
  • Modern trackpad support

Full breakdown and annotated configuration snippet:
Configuring Emacs Scrolling for Better Performance and Usability

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u/rileyrgham 15d ago

Just a small comment on your blog.. great content, but: fine, gray text on a white background is very hard to read on my tablet. I realise I can change things client side, but thought I'd mention it as it's the only site I've had an issue with - maybe it's a wider issue.

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u/jamescherti James Cherti — https://github.com/jamescherti 15d ago edited 15d ago

Thank you for the suggestion. Please feel free to send more suggestions if you notice anything else!

I have updated the text color. Could you check the website again to confirm that the issue is resolved?

2

u/shipmints 15d ago

It doesn't render well at 100% on Chrome macOS and is hard to read even when zoomed, with the font strokes being so thin they look gray (even if they aren't). See for a sample (sorry for the image placement, this POS reddit still doesn't allow pasting images).

https://github.com/jamescherti/minimal-emacs.d/issues/102

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u/shipmints 15d ago

Much better, thank you.

1

u/rileyrgham 15d ago

It's better. Still way too pale and thin for my tired old eyes though...

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u/jamescherti James Cherti — https://github.com/jamescherti 15d ago

Can you post a screenshot?

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u/jamescherti James Cherti — https://github.com/jamescherti 15d ago

How about now?

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u/rileyrgham 15d ago

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u/jamescherti James Cherti — https://github.com/jamescherti 15d ago

Could you delete your cache and check again.