systemhalted by Palak Mathur

I am in awe of Emacs

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This post originally appeared on r/emacs.

I started using Emacs on and off around eight or nine years ago. However, I got serious about learning it recently and I admit partly due to org-mode. I was initially scared of Emacs, which I still am; however, that fear is converting into awe as I explore more of its capabilities. No other editor gives you this much Freedom to hack your editor and personalize it. Emacs takes personalization to a different level, way beyond what other so-called modern editors can ever imagine.

Emacs in my opinion is a “modern editor”, it is a democratic editor as well - editor of the developers, by the developers, for the developers. The so-called Modern editors have somehow grasped the mass attention because of the shiny features and easy configuration. But configuration change in my opinion (and that has changed because of Emacs) is not personalization; it is just using someone else’s second or third preference.

Should Emacs be made more accessible? Yes, of course. Should it be made more modern? I don’t know. I feel it is more modern than any other editor can hope for.

Companies, including mine, are moving from focusing on a product to building platforms that can support many products. This feat Emacs achieved even before I was born. That is incredible.

Thank you to all the developers and maintainers of Emacs and myriad of packages in its ecosystem for contributing to a truly modern editor.

Emacs