Helix: Post-Modern Text Editor

The one cool thing about CTRL+[ - it is universal in terminal and doesn't depend on configuration.

I get shiny new stuff syndrome vibes everytime there is a new editor that claims to be perfect and magically solve all problems.

You're stuck using things like that. For work, you're stuck choosing from what's available, because the work is to be done now, not later.

If choosing I'd go with Mac for work. They have hardware that is reliable, and software that is approachable. Unless it's 3-4 levels deep into MS tech, I'd be confident the Mac can handle it.

If I was starting a new project for myself, like a game or a SaaS thing, then I'd go with some Debian or Arch peppered with a RoFi search/command thing, and a window manager akin to i3. A development machine, entirely geared towards looking at and making of code.

But if time wasn't an issue I would not jump on any of the things available to me. They are all largely misguided with relation to my goals. None of them are particularly enabling. All of them are better than center-aligned Comic Sans in a Word.app document, but none of them integrate my prior knowledge, or even the projects I previously did. Every new project is entirely new anyways.

Computers kinda went the sellout route circa 2012, the PC makers do what they understand will sell well, and there aren't any projects that are different enough to warrant an interest. The commercial offering is geared towards the common journeyman programmer, in it's entirety. There are no niche computing devices, I'd expect to see thousands of those, but still there are a handful at best.

There is like one model of a 3-year old Thinkpad that I'd buy, but it doesn't get me excited enough to actually do that. I'd put some Linux on it, with flare.

I have strong opinions. I have the 20+ years of experience to have formed them.

If I were to take a job or a gig in coding ever again, I'd ask the employer for a machine and figure it out from there. I don't care what it is. As my employer, you make these decisions and suffer their consequences.

I'm just here to figure it out, clock out and go home, where you will never, ever call or message me. You got your 8 hours, and they are as you made them come out. Get screwed.

if there were indeed hundreds of thousands of text editors, then yes, the way your thinking flows would be warranted

but in reality there are less then a hundred alltogether for all time

each is a project of passion, and all are resultant in a peculiar, particular and special kind of thing to do a special kind of thing

you can't select a thing the VIM way and then do something to it the Emacs way

you can't eat Catholic while working Maori

or you can, but then it is just another special thing that you made up

text isn't a thing

code is a thing (many ways, depending on the approach), prose is a thing (many ways), poetry is a thing, legal writing is a thing

text is not a problem that can be solutioned, it is not a question that has an answer

I was just making a joke about how deep we can all get into configuring every little thing on a PC - no offense or point intended, I spend as much time configuring my boxes as using them if I'm being honest.