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From: schwartz@gondor.psu.edu (Scott E. Schwartz)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Monolithic vs Modular (was Re: Free Software Foundation (was: Re:))
Message-ID: <2954@psuvax1.psu.edu>
Date: Sun, 20-Sep-87 16:15:51 EDT
Article-I.D.: psuvax1.2954
Posted: Sun Sep 20 16:15:51 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 20-Sep-87 22:56:02 EDT
References: <738@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM> <28200046@ccvaxa>
Sender: netnews@psuvax1.psu.edu
Reply-To: schwartz@gondor.psu.edu (Scott E. Schwartz)
Organization: Penn State University, University Park, PA
Lines: 34
Summary: Context makes a difference.

In article <28200046@ccvaxa> aglew@ccvaxa.UUCP writes:
>On the other hand, I regularly use a program with many bells and whistles
>(GNU EMACS), but load it up only once and leave it running all day,
>sometimes for days or weeks. The cost of the exec is paid only once,
>while the cost of loading libraries I don't need is paid only when I
>use them.

Granted, but the key issue is whether you actually use emacs as your
environment. If all you have is a vt220, I definately think you
gain an advantage by using emacs. 

>	Line oriented interfaces are much more tolerable under EMACS.
>Adb under EMACS is almost pleasant!
>
>I think that I need a fully featured environment to live in;
>but the fully featured environment makes simple tools much more tolerable.

Ah!  The truth surfaces.  It's not emacs per se that you love: it is the
enhanced user interface.  Now if you had a Sun rather than a vt200
or something connected to a vax things would be less clear.  If you had a 
"fully featured environment" in that case, I would call it 
Suntools, or X Windows, or NeWS, and I would want my editors, debuggers, 
etc to be paragons of efficient software toolhood.    My experience has
been that launcing a massive emacs is just much more trouble than
opening several windows in which to use small, fast tools like 
"more" or even "vi" (compared to emacs).  Yes, individually none
of them come close to the power of emacs, but they dont need to
since with the proper environment around them (i.e. a good window
system) they all mesh together in a way that gives you more overall
than simply the sum of the parts.  



-- Scott Schwartz            schwartz@gondor.psu.edu