5 ms·

Try doing something the program doesn't support. Experts prefer plain-text formats and command-line tools because with a little bit of elbow grease you can alw

by maaku 11y ago

Try doing something the program doesn't support. Experts prefer plain-text formats and command-line tools because with a little bit of elbow grease you can always do things the program creator never thought of or chose not to support.

peteretep 11y ago
> Experts prefer plain-text formats and command-line tools Sure. Expert computer users prefer Lynx for web-browsing, expert Windows and Apple developers prefer vim and gcc, expert fiction writers prefer using emacs, and professional accountants use command-line accountancy tools...
- TeMPOraL 11y ago
  I think I got Poe'd here - I'm not sure if you're serious or not, because the only thing that sounds stretched to me is the Lynx one. Of adoption of CLI among professional accountants I know nothing about, but the rest pretty much checks out.
  - mercurial 11y ago
    In my experience, Windows developers (if they don't come from the *nix world) after often very uncomfortable with the command line (or anything non-Windows), and I doubt many authors know anything about emacs...
    - TeMPOraL 11y ago
      > and I doubt many authors know anything about emacs... You'd be surprised. There's a list of writers who use Emacs floating somewhere around the interwebz, Vernor Vinge being a notable example. I can't find it right now, but few of those authors are mentioned here: http://irreal.org/blog/?p=4651 http://irreal.org/blog/?p=4651.
      - mercurial 11y ago
        I don't doubt it for a second, but these people are outliers. This would be like me advocating how Wordperfect is widespread among authors, based on the fact that George RR Martin still uses it.
        ljosa 11y ago
        WordStar, not WordPerfect.
- dllthomas 11y ago
  None of Lynx, vim, or emacs are "command-line tools."
  - netheril96 11y ago
    Indeed. They are more like GUI faked by the command line.
    - dllthomas 11y ago
      "faked by the command line" "The command line" isn't really involved here - they're arguably GUIs rendered in the terminal. Another term is "Captive User Interface", although a text editor is one of the few places I don't mind it.

by maaku 11y ago

peteretep 11y ago

> Experts prefer plain-text formats and command-line tools Sure. Expert computer users prefer Lynx for web-browsing, expert Windows and Apple developers prefer vim and gcc, expert fiction writers prefer using emacs, and professional accountants use command-line accountancy tools...

TeMPOraL 11y ago
I think I got Poe'd here - I'm not sure if you're serious or not, because the only thing that sounds stretched to me is the Lynx one. Of adoption of CLI among professional accountants I know nothing about, but the rest pretty much checks out.
- mercurial 11y ago
  In my experience, Windows developers (if they don't come from the *nix world) after often very uncomfortable with the command line (or anything non-Windows), and I doubt many authors know anything about emacs...
  - TeMPOraL 11y ago
    > and I doubt many authors know anything about emacs... You'd be surprised. There's a list of writers who use Emacs floating somewhere around the interwebz, Vernor Vinge being a notable example. I can't find it right now, but few of those authors are mentioned here: http://irreal.org/blog/?p=4651 http://irreal.org/blog/?p=4651.
    - mercurial 11y ago
      I don't doubt it for a second, but these people are outliers. This would be like me advocating how Wordperfect is widespread among authors, based on the fact that George RR Martin still uses it.
      - ljosa 11y ago
        WordStar, not WordPerfect.
dllthomas 11y ago
None of Lynx, vim, or emacs are "command-line tools."
- netheril96 11y ago
  Indeed. They are more like GUI faked by the command line.
  - dllthomas 11y ago
    "faked by the command line" "The command line" isn't really involved here - they're arguably GUIs rendered in the terminal. Another term is "Captive User Interface", although a text editor is one of the few places I don't mind it.