Gmail eats Python

[Rustom Mody]

On Sunday, July 26, 2015 at 12:25:42 PM UTC+5:30, Marko Rauhamaa wrote:
> Chris Angelico:
> 
> > Emacs tries to be absolutely everything, not just editing text files;
> > that's why it's big.
> 
> I use emacs for most of my text inputting needs. Sometimes I even use it
> to type in web forms (prepare it in emacs and copy the text over into
> the form).
> 
> I'm typing now. Hence, I'm using emacs. It's great that I don't have to
> settle for less.
> 
> No matter what I'm typing, M-$ spell-checks the word under the cursor.
> No matter what I'm typing, M-x picture-mode allows me to draw a picture
> in ASCII graphics. And C-x ( starts a macro -- immensely useful in many
> circumstances.
> 
> Emacs also works over text terminal connections. I use it all the time
> to access virtual machines at the office as well as my home machine from
> overseas.

Emacs 'tries to be everything' in exactly the same way that a 'general purpose
programming language' is too general and by pretending to solve all problems
actually solves none (until you hire a programmer).

Problem with emacs (culture) is that its aficionados assume that a superb 
conceptual design trumps technological relevance, UI clunkiness etc. Which is 
true... within reasonable limits.

For something a little more contemporary (and successful) than mail clients
here's emacs doing git: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zobx3T7hGNA

[Did you notice that you used the locutions 'M-$', 'M-x'?
What sense does this 80s terminology make to an emacs uninitiate in 2015?
>From seeing my 20-year-olf students suffer all this combined with the 
hopelessness of convincing the emacs folks that we are in 2015, not 1980, I 
conclude this is a losing battle
]