Best Python Editor (under Linux)

[Martin Christensen]

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>>>>> "Erik" == Erik Max Francis <max at alcyone.com> writes:
Erik> I also don't want to get into a vi vs. emacs war [...]

Aw, you're no fun! :-)

Erik> [...] but how does emacs have a steeper learning curve, at least
Erik> for just basic text editing usage (creating files, opening
Erik> files, editing files, saving files, quitting)?  On the contrary,
Erik> I think to a total neophyte vi is a lot more intimidating: You
Erik> can't even start entering text unless you enter a code first.

As do you I am convinced that a total neophyte will be more
comfortable in Emacs than vi, simply because very, very few programs
that deal with text editing of any sort nowadays have different
modes. If not for the menues, however, a total neophyte would be as
lost in Emacs as in vi, and in all fairness, where Emacs has menues,
vi has GVim.

However, of what consequence are the first few weeks of stumbling in
the long term? I see no problem in an editor having a rather steep
learning curve if it is justified by long-term benefits, and both
Emacs and vi have made many such sacrifices.

I learnt to use basic vi by using the tutorial that comes with Vim.
I'm already an expert computer user and thus am not easily
intimidated, and so I learnt the basics in half an hour. But I would
never in a million years get my mother to use it. On the other hand,
she can use Emacs much the same as she'd use Notepad, i.e. typing and
deleting text as she normally would, using the mouse as she normally
would, but she'll never get beyond that. In truth she'd be better off
with a simpler editor, but Emacs was the one that was installed on her
Linux box the day she happened to need one. As a sidenote, when she
asked me what a buffer was I told her, "it's a file, Mum"; oh, the fun
it would be to explain the difference to her! :-)

Martin

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