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Batteries included with Emacs (2020)

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Re: Batteries included with Emacs (2020)

#141

Post by a_e_k »

worik wrote: post #73

For me the killer aspect of Emacs (it applies even more to vi) is being able to use it in a terminal so being able to use it over a network connection. I know X can export over a network connection, but text mode Emacs is much simpler and does not require X.

I once used a little netbook at a conference in Germany on a crowded wi-fi connection to edit using Emacs within a terminal SSH connection to a desktop in the western U.S.

It held up surprisingly well. The Emacs terminal display system dates from the days of low-baud terminal sessions and so decouples screen updates from the editing input. I.e., it's smart enough not to try to fully update the screen on every keystroke when the terminal connection is slow -- not unlike dropping video frames to keep up. So you can type ahead with some lag and know that it will bring the screen up-to-date as efficiently as possible whenever it can.

Re: Batteries included with Emacs (2020)

#142

Post by a_e_k »

cyberbanjo wrote: post #9
ByteJockey wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean. Emacs has the ability to do basically what vim does. Evil mode is really nice (though I can never get used the = register evaluating elisp instead of vimscript). What kills me about emacs is the startup time. Breaks my flow when I'm jumping around and need to edit something quickly. Though I'll admit that doom provides a very nice environment for when I want to play around with some lisp.

Use emacsclient and don't close emacs server. Super fast startup (for emacs). There is a guide on emacswiki afaicr

I've had M-x emacs-uptime hit nearly 200 days before. It takes a little effort to get used to that style of working, but it's definitely handy once you do. (Also, I

    alias ec="emacsclient -n"
in my shell.)

Re: Batteries included with Emacs (2020)

#143

Post by zelphirkalt »

bitexploder wrote: post #95
mabub24 wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most people get by with pseudo-touch typing. They have most of the speed down, and look down at the keyboard occasionally, but they do not have the accuracy that is displayed in true touch-typing.

That sort of blows my mind. How can you not learn to touch type? It will take you a month at most and it greatly improves life at a keyboard.

Probably, because most of the time when coding, you think, and do not type. Also you can do so much other stuff in a whole month. It might not really be worth it to spend a month on something, that improves speed of an activity, which is a small fraction of what you do while coding (perhaps it is!). Sure, if you do not plan to improve on other things, then that month might be well spent learning how to type faster/better/more precisely.

I tried to write this without looking at the keyboard, while usually I look every now and then. Worked quite well. I guess it is about forcing the habbit of reassuring yourself of pressing the correct keys to stop. I made lots of typos, but removing and writing again, I could get rid of them.

Re: Batteries included with Emacs (2020)

#144

Post by Koshkin »

wrycoder wrote: post #100
Mikeb85 wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most keyboards have a little raised bump on the F and J keys ;)

I once subscribed to a magazine and received the subscription at my address, but with a strange name. I took me a minute to realize that it had been touch typed, but with the right hand displaced to the right by one position.

That’s so cool! Not only you touch type, you also do not need to look at the screen!

Re: Batteries included with Emacs (2020)

#145

Post by zelphirkalt »

bitexploder wrote: post #114
phist_mcgee wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because not everyone has time to dedicate to a skill with diminishing returns after a certain point, and on top of that many people do not at all care about the life of their keyboard. I touch-type, but still occasionally struggle with some things eg. using the right shift key instead of always preferring the left. I don't see much benefit in addressing this, since my typing speed is never the blocker with regard to…

Isn’t it distracting to have to look and visually think about the keyboard in the midst of working? Genuinely asking. I literally can’t imagine having to look at the keyboard. And how much of a commitment is it really?

It might be a bit distracting, depending on the person. Personally, I am still thinking about stuff and perhaps seeing the image on the screen or another one of some concept in my mind, when I check the keyboard. Sometimes it might even help to not look at that screen for a moment.

Re: Batteries included with Emacs (2020)

#147

Post by macintux »

epolanski wrote: post #120
lawn wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it amazing how common it is for programmers to not be touch typists (I mean typing without looking at the keys). Like, isn't that something you pick up by the sheer amount of keyboard time?

Touch typing isn't about writing without looking at the keys, that's something that pretty much every dev I know does. It's about writing in an efficient way that minimizes finger travel, and zeroes palm and writ movement. There's a reason F and J have bumps on them, or why we have two shifts, etc. For anyone interested into relearning how to type efficiently I want to recommend this free website full of tutorials an…

> There's a reason F and J have bumps on them

Actually that’s a regression. At one point some keyboards (Apple IIRC) put the bumps on D and K, which made it much easier to notice when your hands were misplaced.

It’s easier to notice that the wrong finger has the bump than noticing that no finger has the bump beneath it.

Re: Batteries included with Emacs (2020)

#148

Post by macintux »

epolanski wrote: post #122
Mikeb85 wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not that old (30's) but we were forced into learning how to touch-type throughout grade-school. Pretty much any white-collar work requires it. Getting through university basically requires it (even humanities courses; good luck writing long essays without it). It's shocking that anyone who went through school in a developed country can't touch-type.

Which developed countries have courses in school to learn touch typing? I have never, ever heard about it. Edit: by touch typing I mean having your index fingers on fj and from there using ALL keys without ever leaving the starting position, and yes that includes shift, alt and control and special characters. I know very few people who are really touch typists (I am a proficient one), and I don't believe for a second…

I’m 50, and I took a typewriter course in high school because it seemed obvious that keyboarding skills would be useful, although computers themselves were still somewhat niche.
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