Emacs Hype

2009-12-18T13:32:38Z

I’ve never really understood the hype behind Emacs (and Vi), but thats probably because I’ve never had the patience to actually use them. I always plan to learn how to, and I do. I read the introduction part, familiarize myself with the keys, but thats all that ever happens. Yesterday, I planned to start using it again, because I read an article saying “How AWESOME it is”, I even started reading The Emacs Lisp Manual.

Whenever I would read - add this to your .emacs file to get this cool feature. I would always wonder, “Where the hell is my .emacs file?” Some manuals say it’s in my $HOME directory, but I never actually found it. And trust me I searched a lot … a lot. Apparently, and I learned this yesterday, you’re supposed to create your own .emacs file initially. UGH .. why couldn’t they mention that anywhere. :-

Even though I’m somewhat familiar with the Emacs environment. I doubt I’ll actually use Emacs at all. Why?

My primary use the IDE I use (CodeBlocks) is to write games. Usually in C++ along with SDL and OpenGL, and to do that in Emacs, heres what I would have to do -

Setup CEDET - I hate programming without Code Completion. I feel like a drunk man, fumbling through the darkness. Honest! I know a couple of articles which explain how to setup CEDET, but I found it to be a somewhat laborious task. Probably cause I don’t understand Emacs Lisp.
Makefiles - I would have to setup a makefile for my game, and then manage it. Codeblocks does this for me, beautifully. And then there is the advantage that when I want to compile the game in Windows, I can use the same codeblocks file. With some minor adjustments dictating the directory of libraries and header files.
Console Window- I love the way Codeblocks always open a new console windows along with the GUI window. It really helps in finding bugs. I can output loads of info on the console window, instead of having to log it files and all. I don’t really know how to do this in Emacs (I’ve learned never to say - “That won’t be possible with Emacs”. Everything is possible with Emacs … everything.)
IDE Setup - Setting up Emacs to look like an IDE.

Until I figure out how to do all of this. I doubt I’ll ever actually switch. Hell, maybe Emacs just isn’t for me. Maybe not. Until I find out how to do all of the above. It will just be a toy I use off and on. Never for some real programming, though.