Mail Archives: djgpp/1996/03/11/11:41:27
From: beppu AT arcturus DOT oac DOT uci DOT edu (John Beppu)
Date: 5 Mar 1996 06:37:43 GMT
I've been programming in dos for a little bit, and I had come to
the decision that Qedit was about as good as it gets when it comes
to DOS-based text-editors. However, it seems that a lot of people
love Emacs, and I'm unfamiliar with it, so I was hoping someone
could tell me what is so wonderful about Emacs.
Sorry this wasn't DJGPP related, but I figured this would not be
too much to ask.
I've answered this and similar questions privately several times because I do
not like to fuel the editor holy war. However, it is about time to go to the
mat for my favorite editor/IDE.
Despite the feelings of vi bigots and DOS editor bigots (yes I happily accept
the label 'emacs bigot') emacs is REALLY EASY and powerful in use but like vi
it is difficult to learn. Not because it is counter-intuitive but rather
because it has SO MANY functions and is fully extensible. Almost all functions
are written in LISP and one can modify or add functions and file modes at will.
One problem vi users have is that the mnemonic terminology is frequently
different in emacs than in vi (example what vi calls yank & pop or delete & pop
emacs calls copy & yank or kill & yank where vi uses the hjkl keys emacs uses
^b^n^p^f for back/nextline/prevline/forward, etc).
However, emacs users have source highlighting, automatic language specific
formatting (user configurable), basic syntax checking, missing fence checks,
built in RCS support, multiple file buffers and multiple windows and frames.
Full undo/redo history, multiple kill-ring and kill-ring manipulation, instant
macro record/name/execute/bind-to-key, auto-save and backup, compiling from
within emacs and error==>code highlighting, etc.
Basically I have always found that everything that I do frequently is easier
and faster in emacs, though, those things that I do seldom are often easier to
accomplish in vi or another editor. Not because I am more familiar with emacs
either, but because emacs is a GREAT programmers editor and IDE which just fits
the way we work rather than making us fit a programming model of how best to do
editor tasks. For those things that I seldom do often vi's program model is
just a better fit.
--
Art S. Kagel, kagel AT quasar DOT bloomberg DOT com
A proverb is no proverb to you 'till life has illustrated it. -- John Keats
P.S. - I am reading and answering my mail in emacs now. OK it is on UNIX but
it does reveal some of the power....
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