![]() ![]() * reduce overhead of switching between projects. I added general project notes, links to relevant resources and a chronological log of projects. Why do we always have to wait for Apple to inject a miniscule amount of actual DESIGN into software?įor a number of years I used the single file Python wiki pwyky ( ) running on a server to serve as a personal lab notebook. Orgmode looks like my father's 1985 IBM terminal. This is the best personal organization software we have. What is the chance that they will read the org-mode manual? Oh that's right, I'll just send them to the IRC channel. But wait, I forgot that my collaborator is actually a NORMAL person. I decide that I'd like to collaborate on a project - org-mode seems like a great tool. Meanwhile, once I move a paragraph, emacs displays some kind of fragments of the characters in the previous location. one of them puts a TODO, another puts a new star, now suddenly I've reordered half of my lists. I can't remember if it's shift-tab, alt-tab, command-shift. org file, it hasn't saved the word wrapping setting. There are 5 incomprehensible word wrap options and none of them work. Then I fire up my emacs and the incredible frustrations and overwhelming disgust start to rise like a slow flood. I then become convinced that the only system that has been fairly well thought out is org-mode. Then I get depressed at how poorly thought out almost all the options are. These periodically recurring organization threads always motivate me to take another stab at adopting some kind of coherent approach to organizing my ideas. I did not write this to say "everyone should like Emacs, look, I proved it". And, just to be clear: I know a size does not fit all. And that pattern will repeat, and repeat, and soon you'll be using lots of advanced features, and you won't even notice, because it'll have become a natural thing. Then you'll wish for some feature (like adding tags to headlines), and you'll find that it's already implemented. Regarding org-mode specifically: you can spend weeks using only ONE shortcut, Shift-TAB, and already it will be extremely useful. There's a mode that will help you save keystrokes (yasnippet) there's a mode that will help you write code in the language X (x-mode) there's a mode that will help you open files and buffers easily (ido, anything) there's a mode that will help you with your todos and prose-like text (org-mode). Each mode is a tool, specialized in some area of the Great Forest of Text Editing. The modes? Well, remember, Emacs is a toolbox. It doesn't have to be more complicated than that. Now you can learn one function at a time and extend your knowledge of it little by little. But the gist, the essence, the core - that's it. Yes, there is a mountain of functions and variables and modes that are complicated and interconnected and you _will_ spend some time configuring everything. you customize Emacs' settings and behaviors by changing some variables ("please highlight the line the point is currently on"). you can define your own functions in the same language Emacs itself is written (i.e., you can really extend Emacs, not only call some simpleton API) ĥ. you can assign a shortcut like "C-x C-f" to any function Ĥ. you can "M-x any-function" to invoke it ģ. Oh, and it has funny keyboard shortcuts.Ģ. Meaning: you probably already grok it, but you _think_ you don't because it's Emacs, damn it!, it's supposed to be hard and complex and bend the fabric of space and time!īut its essence is actually quite simple: it's a toolbox for all things text. I really think Emacs is much easier to figure out than it looks. ![]()
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