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Re: emacs for everything?


From: Floyd L. Davidson
Subject: Re: emacs for everything?
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 15:48:07 -0900
User-agent: gnus 5.10.6/XEmacs 21.4.15/Linux 2.6.5

Alan Mackenzie <acm@muc.de> wrote:
>
>> I would like to know how you use your fingers and brain to remember the
>> _current_ time on a clock that you do not display?  (As just one very
>> trivial example of how limited your described environment is in a real
>> world.)
>
>I don't - I just look up at the device hanging on the wall, or glance at

You missed the point, again Alan.  As I noted, that is a trivial
example.  It demonstrates the point, but is not meant to flag a
significant usage.  It shows that there are applications which
present data that cannot be remembered simply because the data
changes (or the data set is too large to be remembered, or too
detailed, or whatever).

For that application to be useful on a computer, as opposed
having to hang it on the wall (which could be done by simply
having another computer, or 15 or 20 of them, sitting next to
your existing one, so no it is not restricted only to things
where non-computer devices, such as a clock, can also provide
the same information).  Sounds ridiculous beyond belief?  Right!
But the fact is that I saw a toll testboard supervisor, about 10
years ago, claim that telecom technicians on a trouble desk
could have 5 terminals, each with an RS-232 switch and with
dynamo labels on the side of each monitor to indicate the proper
terminal configuration for each switch position, as opposed to
spending the money necessary to run X windows on a reasonable
computer (roughly $5000 each as opposed to less than $1000 for
the terminal/switch arrangement.  (That company ceased to exist
too...  think about it!  Productivity counts.)

In addition to a clock on my computer screen, I also have two
other programs displaying information that is dynamically
updated.  Having them available via keyboard commands is
certainly possible, but the point was that such a mechanism
reduces productivity.

Indeed, the entire point of my comments has been that what you
are describing is *not* a very productive arrangement.  Whether
you are satisfied with a non-productive work environment is
beyond the scope of my interest, or the topic of this newsgroup,
though I will say that hopefully your attitude relates only to
your personal work, because an employer should probably
terminate you for cause under those circumstances.

>the one strapped to my left wrist.  If, for any reason, I wanted to know
>my computer's idea of the time, I'd type in "date" and press the carriage
>return key.  And if I really, really, really badly wanted it continuously
>displayed on my console, I'd get Emacs to display it on the mode-line.
>How to do this is described in the Emacs manual on the page "Optional
>Mode Line", if you're interested.  I don't, though.

You can trust that I'm probably far more familiar with
displaying data on the modeline that you are.  However, the mode
line is only so wide and so high, and can't display very much.
Something trivial like the date and time it can do quite well.
But it can't show me much about what is on this or that web page
which I might be using to research something I'm writing...

>Questions:  Do you have the time displayed continuously on your screen?
>If so, why?  Did you chose to have it there, or did your window manager
>put it there by default, as it were.  What do you get out of it?

I wrote the program that displays the time on my screen.  I also
have a very much customized modeline for my emacs, which shows
the current date and time in a way that is distinctly different
from the default.

What I get out of it is the increased productivity of having a
known to be accurate time standard (wall clocks here are not
accurate), and (this is the important part, so listen up) I can
observe the time without having to interrupt whatever I am
typing.  You mentioned that you have good manual dexterity, but
that is wasted in an environment where you have to stop whatever
productive work you are doing and use that particular talent to
learn the current time.  I don't have that problem, and I do
find it significant (and I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts that
I type faster than you!).

-- 
Floyd L. Davidson           <http://web.newsguy.com/floyd_davidson>
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska)                         floyd@barrow.com


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