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Why Emacs has buffers

masteringemacs.org

81–88 of 88 posts

Re: Why Emacs has buffers

#81
post #70
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pretty neat for a piece of software that's been around for 37 years.

I find the Emacs source code pretty nicely structured and easy to understand (the good commenting helps), especially for something so old.

I certainly agree as far as ELisp code is concerned, but I don’t think it’s true when it comes to the C part.

Re: Why Emacs has buffers

#82
post #81
post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find the Emacs source code pretty nicely structured and easy to understand (the good commenting helps), especially for something so old.

I certainly agree as far as ELisp code is concerned, but I don’t think it’s true when it comes to the C part.

I’m referring to the C part. What makes you think it’s not well structured?

Re: Why Emacs has buffers

#83
post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't consider an index of my email, or an ongoing IRC conversation, or a calculator to be a file or a document. Buffer is certainly a better name. There might be an even better name, but I don't know what a better name for "visual output from anything" is. Monitor?, but that would be kind of weird because people would think of the hardware.

Another name for the API provided by "buffet" could have been "console" (combination of monitor+keyboard: read/write API).

A buffer in Emacs has no input or display capabilities; your "console" would be an alternative to what Emacs calls a "window" (an active buffer combined with input and display parameters).

Re: Why Emacs has buffers

#84
post #78
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That some serious... hem... serious... well, I'm not sure of what I've seen but that's really serious ! :-)

I have been doing my best!

Oh sure! But I must admit, after looking at the video, that I still don't get the story behind it... Is it that one types orders for its character on a typewriter ? If so, that's a very nice twist to the usual text adventure !

Re: Why Emacs has buffers

#86
post #36

Off topic but … > Most people have heard of files and documents in real life I don’t think so. I’m late 30s and I learned of files and folders on windows long before I was introduced to the physical concept. I still feel a small tickle in my funny bone when I see a real life version of the folder icon in an office.

I'd venture to guess everyone here knows what YouTube is even if they never use it. I wonder how many (even on this list) have seen a CRT? (I'm guessing the answer is "more than I think...")

Is that what the tube in youtube refers to? I've grown up with CRT's but never made the connection.

Re: Why Emacs has buffers

#87

This conflates the user concept of a buffer with the gap buffer implementation emacs happens to use. This is a pity, because buffers as a user sees them are a strength of emacs, the article covers several of the reasons for this. Other editors have files which don't happen to be saved to disk or have a name, and that might sound like the same idea as a buffer but in practice it isn't, and emacs does a lot of neat stu…

why is it practically impossible for emacs to move to ropes?

Re: Why Emacs has buffers

#88
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a person who collects text editors: Wow. Thanks for sharing.

My pleasure. I hope it earns a place in your collection when I'm ready to release. (Trying my best for a demo this month.) I think one of the coolest features is that you learn different spells depending on what you write. For example, if you write horror you'll learn spookier spells than if you write romance or technobabble. https://twitter.com/LeapJosh/status/1519398797079625733 and then you create rituals using th…

Very cool indeed, I will absolutely follow your project. Cheers
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