Oh, so you think Emacs in 2025 doesn't know what a "completion" is? Just because it started over forty years ago doesn't mean it's stuck in the past, you don't need to "type half a freaking" nothing.
You know, I can too, play this game - in VSCode, the method of inserting an em-dash is different for all three platforms; IntelliJ, and Sublime don't even have the built-in feature like that - you gotta use 'snippets' or something. In contrast, Emacs and Vim knew how to do it probably before you even learned how to type, and the method has been consistent since then - you'd just learn how to do it once, and that knowledge is guaranteed to stay relevant even decades later.
1) The comment I replied to said you had to type a long freaking incantation. I know nothing of this new place you're moving the goalposts to.
That's actually my only real point; the following are bonus:
2) WTF does VSCode have to do with anything?!? Did I write "VSCode is so much better!" anywhere? Funny, can't recall that I did.
3) I took ten-finger-typing in högstadiet, ~"junior high" in Americanese, so about 1977-78. Cool IBM Selectrics, some of them with a built-in Tippex ribbon IIRC. (Didn't really take; I still use ~4-6 fingers.) Before that, I taught myself to type (with at least two fingers, maybe up to four) on a manual typewriter I got for Christmas in... 1975, 6? According to Wikipedia, Vi was first released with BSD in February 1978; Emacs was used internally at MIT from 1976. So pretty much a dead heat.
Oooh, you sound pissed. Or maybe I'm reading it like that in my head. I don't know why you feel like I was staring at your ego the wrong way — never was my intention to hurt your feelings.
I can tell you though why my comment sounds defensive; it's because I care about the tool and the community invested into it.
Despite having virtually no better alternative in its category, it is still not a very popular tool (for various reasons), and the user base is relatively small, the number of active contributors is even smaller.
Disingenuous remarks similar to yours do a disservice to the community of its users, maintainers and interested newcomers.
For what it's worth, the command I described, the one that gave you the impression that you have to type "an incantation" - `C-x 8 RET` bound to (insert-char), you invoke it, and start typing "dash", or "em d" and it finds you the thing. It's also great for inserting emojis and arrows of all sorts, stuff like that. I often debug code inserting log statements with butterflies or dog symbols - easy to quickly spot them. You can type a number and then call it, it will insert that many of the selected character.
Anyway, whatever your goal was with that thought - you imagined it all wrong. Feel free to blame me for not describing it properly, don't blame the tool.
Big fucking wonder, after the tone of your previous comment???
> I can tell you though why my comment sounds defensive; it's because I care about the tool and the community invested into it.
You need to find better ways to show that care.
> Despite having virtually no better alternative in its category, it is still not a very popular tool
Then maybe there actually are lots of better alternatives, by the potential users' own judgement. If it were actually percieved as good, it would be more popular. Seems the evangelism for it is just failing. You don't think you're exhibiting a prime example of how and why that is...?
> Disingenuous remarks similar to yours
What the fucking fuck was "disingenuous" about it??? Someone said (paraphrasing), "Oh, inserting M-dashes in Emacs is easy, you just type Ctrl-Meta-Alt Youdelihoo blah-blah...", and I responded "That's too fucking long to type." Then you came and moved the goalposts with your, uh, "continuations", was it? I feel it's not me who's being disingenuous here.
> do a disservice to the community of its users, maintainers and interested newcomers.
I started my comment by pointing out that I was a potential newcomer. Wanna guess what shit like this does to my level of interest?
And not only mine: Everyone else who sees examples of "Emacs evangelism" like this, including everyone who stumbles across this exact thread.
> Feel free to blame me for not describing it properly,
Will do.
> don't blame the tool.
If you're a typical example of the user / evangelist base -- and I have no reason to believe otherwise -- I'll blame the tool, too: For what its community turns its users into. (ETA: I'm enough of an asshole already, I don't need Emacs to make it worse.)
I sincerely appreciate your admonition, my good sir/gentle person. You have gone above and beyond to teach me (a lowly peasant of the digital world) an invaluable lesson of humility and emotional intelligence. Your beautiful eloquence and articulation of the matter moved me beyond words. At the same time, my heart is saddened by the great loss for the world of Emacs; it would absolutely crumble without the wisdom of such an incredible scholar and keyboarding wizard. Nevertheless, I can promise you, expect your Medal of Gallantry to arrive at your mailbox in five to ten days. I wish you good luck in all your future endeavors. Cheers.
