Re: What's your favourite *under_publicized* editing feature ofEmacs?

[Cthun]

On 28/02/2011 11:32 PM, Jim Janney wrote:
> Cthun<cthun_117@qmail.net.au>  writes:
> > On 28/02/2011 6:38 AM, Jim Janney wrote:
> > > I haven't written any novels, but the purpose of a version control
> > > system is to manage text
> >
> > First of all, the purpose of a version control system is to manage
> > text that's compilable by build tools
>
> That's a bit like saying that the purpose of Usenet is pointless
> bickering

What does your classic unsubstantiated and erroneous claim have to do 
with Lisp, Janney? Saying version control is for novels is like saying 
the purpose of Usenet is pointless bickering, Janney; saying it's for 
source code is like saying the purpose of Usenet is for discussion. Your 
mistake is rather ironic, though, considering your own considerable 
recent contributions to the misuse of Usenet for pointless bickering, 
Janney.

> while that is one of the uses to which it's commonly put,
> it's hardly the only one

What does that have to do with Lisp, Janney?

> > and moreover, word
> > processor documents are typically binary files, which version control
> > systems cope poorly with. Subversion's diff tool will not play nicely
> > with .doc files, Janney, and without it there is little point in using
> > version control.
>
> I did say text; clever of you to pick up on that.

Plain, unformatted ASCII text, Janney, which is hardly useful for 
writing novels and articles. Novels tend to contain italics and other 
formatting here and there, Janney, whereas articles frequently contain 
scientific and mathematical symbols that do not exist in ASCII or 
sometimes even Unicode, and tables, graphs, charts, and formatted 
equations that cannot be represented nicely using a grid of characters.

> > > I rarely lose work due to power failures or software crashes
> >
> > That is easily accomplished without using version control,
> > Janney. Saving frequently and having a backup tool suffices for normal
> > people.
>
> And it can be accomplished even more easily with Emacs and any one of a
> number of version control systems.

What does your classic unsubstantiated and erroneous claim have to do 
with Lisp, Janney? Occasionally hitting control-S and backing up your 
files regularly is a lot easier than learning Emacs, Janney.

> > > I could work without one, but I would have to do everything more
> > > slowly and carefully.
> >
> > Right click, drop, "copy here" is not especially slow, particularly
> > compared to learning all of the complexities of a version control
> > system, Janney. Version control systems have servers, clients, complex
> > command lines for checking things in and out of them, and so on and
> > have to be found, downloaded, installed, and configured. You need to
> > set up your router/firewall to hide the server from the rest of the
> > internet for security reasons. You have to set up some loopback
> > interface port for the server to use and then point the client at
> > 127.0.0.1:portno. You may even have to put all those numbers on every
> > single command line to check in or check out a file, depending on the
> > software you chose, Janney.
>
> That would certainly be a lot of work, if it were indeed necessary.  It
> may please you to learn that, if you're not sharing your work with
> others, there are a number of version control systems -- including
> Subversion -- for which none of that is necessary.

What does your classic unsubstantiated and erroneous claim have to do 
with Lisp, Janney? Version control systems are inherently complex and 
inherently client/server oriented, Janney; if they weren't they'd be 
useless for their primary purpose, which is to enable collaborative 
software development, Janney.

> > All of this complexity, when you could just alt, f, "save as" or right
> > click, "copy here" or COPY FOO.DOC FOO.DOC.BAK, Janney.
>
> That's rather more work than simply hitting a few key strokes in Emacs.

It's rather less work than struggling to learn, and later struggling to 
remember, those "few key strokes in Emacs", Janney. Not to mention the 
sprained wrists from tying your hands into pretzels trying to hit seven 
different modifier keys simultaneously, Janney. Emacs is not a text 
editor, Janney, it is a keyboard-implemented version of the game "Twister".

> And you get less for it.

What does your classic unsubstantiated and erroneous claim have to do 
with Lisp, Janney? And it remains true that using SVN to "develop" a 
novel is like using a hammer to insert a screw, Janney.