Xref: utzoo comp.sources.wanted:17150 comp.editors:3379 comp.emacs:10919 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!pacbell.com!att!cbfsb!danj1 From: Dan_Jacobson@ATT.COM Newsgroups: comp.sources.wanted,comp.editors,comp.emacs Subject: Re: SUMMARY: Super-simple UNIX editor Message-ID: <1991Jun19.013030.23227@cbfsb.att.com> Date: 19 Jun 91 01:30:30 GMT References: <1991Jun14.004711.25643@yenta.alb.nm.us> <1991Jun13.052839.9509@hawkmoon.MN.ORG> <1991Jun14.195428.26603@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> <1991Jun17.220112.7192@eci386.uucp> <1991Jun18.065340.25187@yenta.alb.nm.us> <17174@darksta Sender: news@cbfsb.att.com Reply-To: Dan_Jacobson@ihlpz.ATT.COM Organization: AT&T-BL, Naperville IL, USA Lines: 42 In-Reply-To: jik@cats.ucsc.edu's message of 18 Jun 91 20: 36:05 GMT Originator: danj1@cbnewsf.cb.att.com >>>>> "J" == Jonathan I. Kamens writes: J> I don't want to get into a religious editor flamewar, but I find it J> necessary to point out that since GNU emacs is pretty much J> completely customizable and programmable, you can turn it into a J> simple editor with only basic commands accepted (and it IS possible J> to make it do function keys, arrow keys, etc. fairly easily), and J> disable the features that you don't want beginners to stumble over, J> and then give make that simplified version of emacs your default. J> The users who grow out of the simple set-up can then recustomize J> things to get a more powerful emacs environment. John's right. Look, full driver seat air-bag protection: -----actual screen dump----: You have typed C-x n, invoking disabled command narrow-to-region: Restrict editing in this buffer to the current region. The rest of the text becomes temporarily invisible and untouchable but is not deleted; if you save the buffer in a file, the invisible text is included in the file. C-x w makes all visible again. You can now type Space to try the command just this once, but leave it disabled, Y to try it and enable it (no questions if you use it again), N to do nothing (command remains disabled). --------------------------- See, GNU Emacs is your friend. Anyway, in the long run it doesn't matter if you use its native emacs keybindings (an 804-line on-line tutorial is included) or one of its vi emulations, etc... mere inputting details... either way try to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome / tendonitis while you're doing any typing over many years. What impressed my a lot as a beginner was that nobody could take away all those megabytes of source code from me---so I knew I could take my GNU Emacs knowledge around with me and not worry too much about that big investment in learning going to waste... I'd just recompile on the next machine... anyway, this is one deep down long-term motivation... protecting ones' personal learning investment. Others have felt the same way, so we have all joined together and added features, making the GNU Emacs world as rich as it is today.