[HN Gopher] Get things done with Emacs
___________________________________________________________________
Get things done with Emacs
Author : ducktective
Score : 199 points
Date : 2022-09-30 10:12 UTC (1 days ago)
(HTM) web link (www.labri.fr)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.labri.fr)
| aslak wrote:
| I can just use VS Code.
| bitlax wrote:
| You literally can't.
| djha-skin wrote:
| Richard stallman himself got repetitive strain injury from emacs.
| So many people have. They tell you to remap the key to caps lock
| they tell you to use your palm instead of your finger they tell
| you to get a weird keyboard but at the end of the day it was just
| poorly designed.
|
| Vim is only slightly slower but so much easier on my hands. Yes,
| I could get emacs evil or spacemacs or whatever but bolting on
| modality to an editor that was never meant for it, especially
| when all the docs basically ignore their existence, is not
| something I'm interested in. Native vim is just better.
|
| But I do miss that you can configure emacs using lisp.
|
| There is hope, though. I've heard there is a plug-in for neovim
| that allows you to write configuration files using common lisp.
| ghosty141 wrote:
| Just use EVIL? For me its the best of both worlds, vim for text
| editing and elisp for extensibility
| tmtvl wrote:
| It's weird I used vim for 5 years and started getting really
| sore hands, so in early 2019 I switched from QWERTY to Dvorak
| layout, and at the same time decided to try out Emacs. Nowadays
| my hands are in far better shape.
|
| I sometimes try using Evil, but every time I have to stop
| because my fingers become sore. I guess it's because when using
| modal editing I slam the keys down. That's because mistypes can
| be disastrous when compared to Emacs where mistypes just end up
| as characters in the active buffer.
| kzrdude wrote:
| Mistypes shouldn't be that disasterous, enable all undo
| features (including persistent undo) and enjoy.
| EFreethought wrote:
| One way to avoid strain on Emacs is to move your hand over an
| inch or so for certain keys. I tend to use M-x ${function-name}
| for new modes and commands that I learn, so this is not a big
| deal to me.
|
| Speed is nice, but it is not the main goal. Getting things done
| is (no pun intended).
| lvass wrote:
| >it was just poorly designed
|
| This is actually true, but not an issue anymore. Control was
| near the space bar in the Symbolics keyboard, now it's in a
| much more comfortable position where it can and should be
| pressed with the left hand's palm, which is important even if
| you don't use Emacs. Vi uses control too.
| ducktective wrote:
| > Vim is only slightly slower
|
| Both vim and neovim (be it in TUI or GUI form) are faster than
| Emacs.
|
| https://pavelfatin.com/typing-with-pleasure/#summary
| hollerith wrote:
| Your URL is about how fast the software is at responding to
| the user's keystrokes. In contrast, the person you are
| replying to is writing about the effect of key binding on how
| quickly a user can get common tasks done.
| MichaelCollins wrote:
| I think that emacs with evil mode is a superior vi-like editor
| than either NeoVim or Bram's Vim. I haven't found the docs to
| be an issue, I don't need the emacs docs to tell me how evil
| works because I already had years of experience with Vim before
| switching to evil+emacs.
| Forge36 wrote:
| Taking a quick peak at managing email in emacs I think I'll keep
| two separate programs.
|
| I really like the agenda view, I'll need to reconsider using
| Outlook tasks (I'm using a split system between Outlook, emacs,
| and my corporate bug tracker). The cleaner history tracking +easy
| ability to add notes/reorganize makes this such a clear progress
| update. Might try using this as my future workplan update.
|
| The breakouts by people is also interesting. I've not categorized
| my interactions in this way (I'm also not mentoring anyone
| directly or managing someone else's work).
| jonnycomputer wrote:
| I have a hard time imagining being able to use Emacs as
| effortlessly with Microsoft Exchange emails as I can with
| Outlook. I use org-mode todos, and Outlook tasks, and it might
| be nice to integrate, but I'm not going to bother trying, tbh.
|
| Outlook notes are terrible, imo. Switched to using org-mode
| with org-crypt, and its worked pretty well, except I have an
| entry that won't decrypt anymore, and I'm not sure what has
| happened.
| gleenn wrote:
| That's pretty bad if you put your life into notes or docs or
| whatever you're encrypting and then it just won't decrypt
| anymore. Do you think the file just got corrupted? Or is it
| actually the plug-in that's failing?
| r3tr0 wrote:
| https://www.reddit.com/r/emacs/comments/xshis8/browser_emacs...
|
| someone put emacs in the browser.
| d3nj4l wrote:
| I really like emacs, and I want to use it. I really loved the way
| I could mix my thoughts and tasks in org and have an agenda view
| that shows me a todo list. However, I spend so much time without
| a computer that it doesn't make sense for me to use org mode.
| I've tried a mobile app for org mode but it didn't work as well
| for me as a task tracker that has a mobile app. How are others in
| this situation working with org?
| djha-skin wrote:
| I have found that a few well-placed shortcuts in my vim
| configuration file makes it very easy to work with my notes
| using markdown. I have shortcuts for viewing links, taking
| screenshots[1][2] and saving them to my disc and linking to
| them in my markdown, and viewing mark down in a viewer that can
| export to PDF. On mobile, I use the excellent Epsilon Notes
| with Folder Sync Pro. The two work together seamlessly.
|
| 1: https://git.sr.ht/~djha-
| skin/dotfiles/tree/main/item/nvim/in...
|
| 2: https://git.sr.ht/~djha-
| skin/dotfiles/tree/main/item/screen2...
| m4lvin wrote:
| Which app did you try? I use Orgzly http://www.orgzly.com/ for
| getting the agenda on my phone and for small edits. And
| whenever I want the full experience I run a real emacs on my
| phone in Termux.
|
| For syncing I use Syncthing.
| d3nj4l wrote:
| I use iOS so I used Plain Org when it was launched. That was
| a while ago so I'm not entirely sure why I didn't like it. I
| can try giving it a spin again, but I stopped using org
| shortly after so I don't have a good sample to try it with.
| wanderingmind wrote:
| Use syncthing-fork and Tailscale and you can do realtime
| syncing on mobile networks of org mode files across multiple
| devices as well
| ChildOfChaos wrote:
| I'm tired just reading the article.
|
| That process sounds exhausting, after working through it, I think
| I'd want a nap rather than to go do some actual worthwhile work.
| m463 wrote:
| The idea is when you need to get work done, you
| procra^H^H^H^H^H^H work on your emacs startup files...
| bitlax wrote:
| By contrast, the author was able to both read and write the
| post without such exhaustion, perhaps due to the fact that he
| wasn't wasting mental energy on recurring tasks.
| dandy23 wrote:
| Here is an easier approach:
|
| https://easyorgmode.com/blog/a-workflow-for-using-org-mode-w...
| f1shy wrote:
| Sorry, off-topic question: does somebody happen to know what tool
| was used to make this page? I really like the style.
| stephc_int13 wrote:
| The layout and styling are very nice.
|
| However, the main text color is lacking contrast, either the
| font is too thin or its color too light.
|
| I can read it, but it is borderline uncomfortable.
|
| I don't mind a bit of softened contrast, but in this case, this
| is a bit too much.
| tmtvl wrote:
| The enumerations (Chapter 1, 1.1,...) are a bit too soft for
| me, I prefer decent contrast a la Modus Operandi over some of
| the barely visible text of Nano themes.
| jonnycomputer wrote:
| I find it refreshing and very readable. But everyone's eyes
| and preferences are different, not to mention screens.
| nebqr wrote:
| It looks like it was exported straight from org-mode, using the
| author's custom css.
| jonnycomputer wrote:
| Side comment about the presentation on the blog. Looks like old
| type-written page, with color. Very clean style, very readable. I
| like it. The CSS style sheet has the author's name on it, so I
| guess it is their work. Good job!
| cocacola1 wrote:
| His nano-emacs is one of the cleanest I've seen:
| https://github.com/rougier/nano-emacs
|
| I did a short interview with Nicolas not long ago (very short):
| https://www.syntopikon.com/workflows/nicolas-rougier/
| kkfx wrote:
| I have a much more chaotic structure and do not use time tracking
| / effort estimate but as a suggestion for going beyond: Emacs for
| me works very well as a file manager, not much in the sense of
| using dired but in the sense of org-attach anything, sometimes
| small trees to be seen/treated via dired [1], accessing them via
| org-roam search&narrow UI (i.e. org-roam-node-find).
|
| I've hesitated a lot at first, especially since migrating a
| decade old curated home taxonomy with symlinks, TMSU etc in the
| middle, it's not so easy nor much automate but in the end it pay
| back very well since not only add much more flexibility and much
| more level of indirection than symlinking/TMUS fuse fs queries
| but also offer the ability to search & filter for much more
| textual information easily.
|
| Doing so allow integrating essentially anything else.
|
| [1] org-id-get-create then renaming (moving) or copy etc a small
| set of files and directories to be linked in org-mode notes
| todd8 wrote:
| Thank you for the detailed write up. (I hope the author sees
| this)
|
| I'm always impressed with Emacs users that are capable of such
| discipline. I've use Emacs well over forty years, with only a few
| years of interruption, but I have never had a stable or well
| organized configuration. It's inspirational to see other's use of
| Emacs.
|
| I'm disorganized, and I'm a hoarder (right now, my bedroom has at
| least 100 books stacked on the floor in different piles). Like my
| fluid Emacs configuration, the books are all attractive
| possibilities of what to read or try out next.
| mikrl wrote:
| As a fellow emacser, I'm also incredibly scatterbrained and
| just kind of intuit my way through things. When I make plans,
| systems and processes I do better with less stress until the
| inevitable stressor completely wrecks my flow and I forget to
| get back on track.
|
| Luckily emacs lets you save a bunch of useful processes and
| workflows in a VCS that works the same across multiple
| environments (modulo 15 minutes here and there to resolve major
| version conflicts)
| b3morales wrote:
| Sounds like you have a flourishing Anti-library:
| https://www.themarginalian.org/2015/03/24/umberto-eco-antili...
|
| > Read books are far less valuable than unread ones. The
| library should contain as much of what you do not know as your
| financial means, mortgage rates, and the currently tight real-
| estate market allows you to put there.
| zasdffaa wrote:
| > Read books are far less valuable than unread ones.
|
| izzit me or is that total garbage? The only information of
| value is that which you can use, if it's in a book you've
| never read it's effectively nonexistent. I get text books to
| stuff them into my cranium, not have them sit around as handy
| doorstops.
|
| Might as well leave them in the bookshop until you need them.
| They're just as unread and you have cash in your pocket for
| other things you actually need.
| comfypotato wrote:
| Sorry for being dense, but I couldn't deduce from the source;
| does the "anti" just mean "unread"?
| shrimpx wrote:
| Yeah. It comes off as a playful/tentative term, not a
| precise one. If a "library" is a collection of read books,
| an "anti-library" is a collection of unread books.
| ayayaweird wrote:
| bitlax wrote:
| I don't even think you read the title.
|
| Edit: Downvote me all you want. I'm not the one using VSCode to
| manage my emails!
| daptaq wrote:
| VSCode is a common denominator. While enough for most, it
| doesn't do the job for everyone. There is nothing bad about it
| one way or another.
| bitlax wrote:
| This is an article about productivity software, not editors.
| Emacs blows VSCode out of the water here.
| chrsig wrote:
| i don't think so...vscode has been a bit hard for me to adopt
|
| ..because it doesn't have a good emacs keybinding.
|
| In general, I find it kind of cluttered, and overwhelming. I
| definitely don't like that it's made by microsoft.
|
| If i'm working on a big project, I don't see a reason not to
| use a jetbrains ide.
|
| If i'm on something smaller, or just need to edit some text,
| it's much easier in emacs than vscode
| thom wrote:
| I've been able to get decent Emacs like key bindings to work
| in VS Code but that's never been my complaint. My complaint
| is just that every extension seems to want to show custom UI
| and even where they have a keyboard and text based workflow
| it's wildly inconsistent with everything else. I just
| can't... _be_ in VS Code, everything's so jarring. In Emacs
| my code, my database client, my terminal, everything is just
| text in the same sort of buffer that supports the same sort
| of navigation and manipulation. VS Code's community (or API)
| doesn't seem to value this. Maybe the abstractions will come
| with time. Either way, good luck to them.
| benreesman wrote:
| I use VSCode sometimes, it's very cool.
|
| But emacs/vi pros are _fucking fast_. It looks like magic the
| first few times you see it (are u a wizard?) and for some it's
| worth the learning curve.
| ctrlrsf wrote:
| How do you save screenshots?
| abudabi123 wrote:
| On KDE/Debian/Linux I use the Spectacle Screenshot Capture
| Utility.
|
| The next version Emacs 29.0 may get screenshot builtin and a
| better way to keep the configuration file manageable. See
| https://planet.emacslife.com
| jhoechtl wrote:
| > The next version Emacs 29.0 may get screenshot builtin
|
| That would be sooo darn nice
| _emacsomancer_ wrote:
| from Emacs 27.1, it's possible to do Emacs internal
| screenshots with a little config, see:
| https://paste.debian.net/1255637/ (based on from https://www.
| reddit.com/r/emacs/comments/idz35e/emacs_27_can_... )
| hprotagonist wrote:
| org-download is really good for this.
| aurelien wrote:
| Nice job!
___________________________________________________________________
(page generated 2022-10-01 23:00 UTC)