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Re: simple editor required
From: |
Paul Edwards |
Subject: |
Re: simple editor required |
Date: |
Sat, 07 Jun 2003 03:43:43 GMT |
"Harry Putnam" <reader@newsguy.com> wrote in message
news:mailman.7492.1054922593.21513.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org...
> "Paul Edwards" <kerravon@nosppaam.w3.to> writes:
>
> > Particularly frustrating is when something like the "del" key
> > doesn't do what I expect (not just what I expect, but what other
> > versions of emacs do when the appropriate command is
> > given). As I turn up to a new job, don't know how to use vi,
> > and it appears that I don't even know how to delete a character.
> > If I have micro-emacs (or emacs was consistent between
> > versions so my .emacs did the right thing), it wouldn't be a
> > problem.
>
> Sounds like you need to bone up on vi before you go much further with
> your employment quests. An employer expecting you to know vi isn't
> asking a terrible lot after all.
I can touch-type and I can write code with blinding productivity,
almost automatically. I do not like having my prowess limited
by stupid editors that are incapable of doing basic things like
displaying an "a" if I press the "a" key. Thus I hate "vi" with a
passion. microemacs is what I use at home, and emacs comes
close enough to emulating that.
> Or expecting an employee to know about basic OS stuff like setting
> the erase character in shell.. really isn't asking a terrible lot
> either.
Wrong delete key. The "DEL" key is being interpreted by
emacs as erase-backward-character instead of erasing the
current character. At least on one of my emacs. On the other
emacs, the .emacs file causes emacs to behave as expected.
> Both are very basic tools of the trade. If you can't or won't learn
> them you probably need a different trade.
I know enough of vi to hold my nose for long enough to add
emacs to my .profile and switch to an editor that displays an
"a" when I press the "a" key.
> Not to be snotty but your
> post comes off like a cry baby who can't do his job.
:-) If you have any concerns about my ability to do my job,
extremely productively, it is only because you've never been
my employer.
> A couple of evenings spent with a vi tutorial will get you lined out.
> Then start worrying about customizing emacs or changing defaults.
Do you actually touch-type? Ever seen a skilled programmer
who can touch-type at 60wpm in action? The keystrokes are
very important, they are memorized, they are automatic. I
expect ctrl-e to erase the contents of the line, not the entire
line, and thus I automatically expect two ctrl-es to be required
to erase the line. I need to concentrate on the work I am doing,
the fingers do the keystrokes by themselves. Anything else
damages my productivity. I sell my productivity.
> Many basic unix books have vi sections.
So does the man page. I already know it sux. I use emacs
because it is widely-installed. I don't actually care what the
keystrokes are, so long as I only have to remember one. Just
the same as I don't care if it is a QWERTY or (can't remember
alternative) keyboard, so long as I only have to know one.
The choice of keyboard was made a long time ago. The choice
of a flavour of emacs was made circa 1985, on someone else's
recommendation (widely-available, multi-platform). I just can't
believe the basics keep changing on me, by default. I've struggled
with emacs "bugs"/"design flaws" for probably a decade, there's
always something that pops up to interfere with the basics, e.g.
having to press ctrl-d instead of DEL. It breaks the rhythm and
really sux. Doesn't suck as much as vi though.
BFN. Paul.
- Re: simple editor required, (continued)
- Re: simple editor required, kgold, 2003/06/11
- Re: simple editor required, Eli Zaretskii, 2003/06/11
- Message not available
- Re: simple editor required, Benjamin Rutt, 2003/06/11
- Re: simple editor required, Kin Cho, 2003/06/11
- Re: simple editor required, Benjamin Rutt, 2003/06/12
- Re: simple editor required, Kin Cho, 2003/06/12
- Re: simple editor required, Peter Lee, 2003/06/12
- Re: simple editor required, Benjamin Rutt, 2003/06/12
- Re: simple editor required, Galen Boyer, 2003/06/12
- Re: simple editor required, Kin Cho, 2003/06/12
- Message not available
- Re: simple editor required,
Paul Edwards <=
- Re: simple editor required, Stein A. Stromme, 2003/06/07
- Message not available
- Re: simple editor required, Paul Edwards, 2003/06/06
- Re: simple editor required, Eli Zaretskii, 2003/06/07
- Re: simple editor required, Kai Großjohann, 2003/06/08
Re: simple editor required, Paul Edwards, 2003/06/07