vi or emacs for editing Python on Linux?

[François Pinard]

[maxm]

> I would like to know the strong/weak point in using either for Python.
> I know this is close to religion.  But are there any rational reasons
> to use one instead of the other for Python?

It is true that people often have religious feelings about it.  It might
depend of where you come from, that is, what was your previous editor of
choice.  I vaguely remember that, when I learned Emacs, I was comfortable
using Borland's editor, with Wordstar keybindings, and I found it very
confusing switching between editors that were both fond on using control
characters, each in their way.  Wordstar was much more logical with the
disposition of key caps! :-) In fact, I hated Emacs for a while...

With time, I learned to appreciate Emacs power.  My opinion is that Emacs is
worth learning, if you spent a great deal of time with computers: you will
be much rewarded by speed, proficiency, flexibility.  But if you only visit
computers once in a while, Emacs is probably not worth the time investment.
If you want to get intimate with your editor, Emacs may be frightening.

For many years, I found `vi' to be quick at start, but dumb on the road.
`vi' much improved over the years, it appears to have grown up a long way.
Even if most people around me use Emacs, a few people I much admire for their
cleverness and productivity are `vi' lovers.  So, `vi' is surely not so bad!
Notably, my `vi' friends do not much use `vi' extensibility, so I guess
there is a difference in attitude, that goes beyond the choice of editors.

If you are in hurry to get out of an editor as soon as you entered it,
choose `vi'. :-) It may look like an inflammatory statement, but not at all.
My friends fly between windows and tools, in and out of the editor, all
the time.  They are like that, and no kidding, I think that this permanent
urge is part of their productivity.  For one, I'm more like an artist who
likes polishing his humble works.  I start Emacs when I boot a machine,
and nest comfortably within it for doing most of my things (reading mail
and news, compiling, connecting to remote machines, etc.).

-- 
François Pinard   http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/~pinard