RE: [UUG/MLUG] simple text editor

["Spurling, Shannon " <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

Ahh! The age old question. People who use emacs are fanatical about it. Me,
I don't like having to memorize all of the commands upfront. I found emacs
difficult to start with so I dropped it. vi is difficult, but easier to get
started in. Pico? Don't make me laugh. It's good to do small typing jobs in,
but it lacks allot of editing features. I think what we are missing here is
that nedit is an X11 editor, where as emacs is not necessarily X11 based. I
like nedit, and use it while in X11. If you learn emacs, you can use it
where ever it's installed, even if you aren't in an X11 session. I think you
over estimate how easy emacs is to learn, though. Almost every one who uses
emacs says it's easy. Every one who uses vi says emacs is hard to learn. Is
the age old conflict between emacs and vi users. 

Thanks

Shannon Spurling
Programmer/Analyst II

MOREnet, Network Services, Core Network
3212 Le Mone Industrial Blvd.
Columbia, MO 65201

Main:(573) 884-7200   Fax:(573)884-6673

EMAIL:PROTECTED
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-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Miller [mailto:EMAIL:PROTECTED]
Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 12:00 PM
To: EMAIL:PROTECTED
Subject: Re: [UUG/MLUG] simple text editor


On Thu, 4 Nov 1999, Stephen Montgomery-Smith wrote:

> Mike Miller wrote:
> > 
> > Here's a question:
> > 
> > What does nedit do that emacs doesn't do?
> > 
> 
> nedit can be used by somebody who is totally computer illiterate,
> and requires no learning to use it.  It is as easy to use as 
> Notepad.  Yet it still has many features - probably not as many
> as emacs - but for getting going quickly it is just the ticket.


You are correct in suggesting that emacs requires some learning, but just
a little learning.  The thing is, the guy who is asking about an editor is
not just looking for something to use this weekend, he's looking for an
editor he can continue to work with.  I really believe that if he learns
emacs, he'll be very happy in the long run that he did so.

Emacs is a very powerful tool, it isn't just an editor.  It is available
for many platforms (I run it on NT and 98 machines, Solaris and, of
course, Linux).  If he puts in the time to start using it now, it will pay
off big.  We should have a little training seminar on emacs at an MLUG
meeting one of these days to get people started.

Mike

-- 
Michael B. Miller
University of Missouri--Columbia
http://taxa.psyc.missouri.edu/~mbmiller/