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Discussion on: Anyone still using Emacs?

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ilemming profile image
M-x tips • Edited

There is a few types of developers:

  • Those who have mastered Emacs and have become enormously productive with it and to some degree developed Stockholm syndrome type of relationship and would stay with Emacs even if it could hurt them (e.g.: work doesn't permit use of Emacs, they refuse to stay on that job)

  • Those who have read about it, seen a few of Youtube videos, etc. and refuse to try it because they think it's archaic and clunky and they simply don't understand why some people are crazy about it (like people of the first category)

  • Those who tried it for a bit, didn't have patience to learn it and moved back to whatever is shiny and popular for the next two years. They often brag about the experience: "Oh yeah, I've used Emacs. It's not for me"

I think it would be fair to say that the second category always had the biggest crowd. Yes, Emacs is not for everyone. It ain't simple blue pill/red pill kind of a thing. It requires a serious commitment. It may take months to develop skills that would make you positively more productive than ever before. And even then it does not guarantee an enlightenment to every single user. But those who give it a true heartfelt try usually come to realization that truly, nothing can beat Emacs. Whatever shiny cookie-cutter feature gets added to other editors/IDEs - sooner or later it gets replicated in Emacs. Just be patient and persistent - who knows, maybe it would be you who implements that shiny thing for Emacs.