Is GNU Emacs still worth it?
Is GNU Emacs still worth it?
Seems like with all AI-enabling and just works out of the box experiences with VSCode and alike, makes GNU Emacs absolete. I'm aware of AI packages for GNU Emacs, but don't think is worth the investiement so much; I would mostly save it for org mode, TUI, and some other few packages. But for programming, it doesn't seem lile worth the investment, and use VSCode instead.
Certainly knowing things will always be valuable - but the effect of assistants and LLMs may be to change what it is valuable to know by devaluing a great heap of current generation’s programmers’s stock and trade.
As an addenda: by value in the above I mean “instrumental value” or more specifically, valuable to the rich who want to exploit the skills of others to become yet richer. There is always intrinsic value to knowing for the people who love to know.
--- fomosapien@emacs.ch, https://emacs.ch/users/fomosapien/statuses/111264462444461233
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Until the day vscode offers something like elisp, no
Why so? Do you work with lisp languages? I've been recently fiding learning [e]lisp a con since it's basically a domain specific language. Only Clojure has a bit of commercial opportunities, but even then it's better to learn JavaScript/TypeScript for its greater use cases. Also, if I wanted to play with functional programming I'd go Haskell, Lean, or even Shen.
@nyl @Dizbdeedee If you view computing as just a bunch of commercial opportunities, yes, lisp kinda sucks, but if you view computing as a discipline for expressing thoughts in a formal, understandable and efficient manner, than Clojure, Common Lisp, Racket and even Emacs Lisp are among the top languages out there and JavaScript is near the bottom a step or two above brainfuck and perl. Haskell, Lean and Shen are also very good, and all of them owe a lot to the Lisp tradition.
it's a domain specific language
Yeah, but it's very configurable and has some extensions that have really changed how I work in an editor, that I can completely change the internals for on the fly, which is not a priority for vscode
I have no strong attachment to lisp and I agree having to learn it is a con and a time sink, but I've done some small extension development for vscode and hated it
Nevermind that you already know the language when it's behind layers of api cruft and a seperate compiler, then the debugger gives you minifed javascript bleh
Commercial arguments are a thing, but a bit reductive no? How would vscode extension development help you earn a job that grinding leetcode or that specific role would be better suited for
I’ve done some small extension development for vscode and hated it
I respect your argument
Commercial arguments are a thing, but a bit reductive no?
I meant you're putting into practice a language/tech that has real and great demand than one that has little to none outside the specific domain of a text editor
@nyl
Just use whatever works for you man, no need to advocate your preferencesI'm happy that you found your new home, let's close this!
@DizbdeedeeLol don't take me wrong, I'm still using Emacs alongside other editors. Case closed then.
@nyl yeah I'm not against meaningful comparisons but this started turning into a flamewar which I had more than enough in the past years. ;)
peace