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How is it that text editors are all the sudden this weird competition where you have to win? I get what you're saying, but I think you worry too much about soc

How is it that text editors are all the sudden this weird competition where you have to win? I get what you're saying, but I think you worry too much about social proof and momentum. It's also grossly unfair to Xi, a project in its infancy. As you mentioned earlier, there is room for another great editor. If the same logic had been applied towards the Electron based editors a few years ago, you'd be arguing against them based on 'pragmatism' because Emacs/vim exists. What I'm trying to say is, people remember when you try to improve on things, even if you don't quite make it. Nobody remembers the guy commenting on a thread shooting it down. Decide which one you want to be.

alkonaut 9y ago
I wouldn't call it "winning" but you do need a big piece of the userbase to be relevant (when we are talking about text editors that are 90% plugins and 10% core, like Atom, Sublime, VsCode, Vim, Emacs...) When I write code in a language I don't find the best language plugin for language X in "my editor". Instead I search for "which editor has the best plugin for language X". And in most of the cases, the difference between different editors is much smaller than the difference in quality between language plugins. So basically, unless an editor "wins" (say becomes one of the top 5 most used) then there will be very few plugins for that text editor for the next thing that you need a plugin for. (And let's hope a non-electron editor is the next to gain that momentum.)
- greglindahl 9y ago
  I have a different algorithm: Instead of asking "what editor has the best plugin for X", I just use emacs. If emacs isn't great at X when I start using it for X, it'll be there soon enough.
  - alkonaut 9y ago
    you picked one that is already in that top. Try that with the 100th most used editor. I disagree it’s worth sticking to on text editor for programming tasks. The productivity boost of a good complex plugin is huge, way bigger than anything one gets from productivity in the text editing itself that comes from familitarity with the editor I think. Look at the state of e.g Rust dev in Atom/VSCode/.. today. It will get there but it might be years for the one in spot #3 to reach the #1
    - greglindahl 9y ago
      Your point exactly? You appear to either switch editors or consider switching on a regular basis, and I don't.
      - deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
      - alkonaut 9y ago
        ok :) My point was that if you want the best plugin (not good enough) then the editor must vary. And secondly, if you do stick with one editor it’s surely one of those biggest ones as otherwise the chance is slim of even finding half decent plugins.
    - greglindahl 9y ago
      Hey, you edited your comment to remove what I responded to. Thanks for not labeling the edit.
      - alkonaut 9y ago
        Probably realized just like you that I misinterpreted or formulated something poorly, sorry.
tomcooks 9y ago
> How is it that text editors are all the sudden this weird competition where you have to win? Editor holy wars [0] are not exactly new eh [0] https://www.techfak.uni-bielefeld.de/~joern/jargon/holywars.HTML https://www.techfak.uni-bielefeld.de/~joern/jargon/holywars....

alkonaut 9y ago

I wouldn't call it "winning" but you do need a big piece of the userbase to be relevant (when we are talking about text editors that are 90% plugins and 10% core, like Atom, Sublime, VsCode, Vim, Emacs...) When I write code in a language I don't find the best language plugin for language X in "my editor". Instead I search for "which editor has the best plugin for language X". And in most of the cases, the difference between different editors is much smaller than the difference in quality between language plugins. So basically, unless an editor "wins" (say becomes one of the top 5 most used) then there will be very few plugins for that text editor for the next thing that you need a plugin for. (And let's hope a non-electron editor is the next to gain that momentum.)

greglindahl 9y ago
I have a different algorithm: Instead of asking "what editor has the best plugin for X", I just use emacs. If emacs isn't great at X when I start using it for X, it'll be there soon enough.
- alkonaut 9y ago
  you picked one that is already in that top. Try that with the 100th most used editor. I disagree it’s worth sticking to on text editor for programming tasks. The productivity boost of a good complex plugin is huge, way bigger than anything one gets from productivity in the text editing itself that comes from familitarity with the editor I think. Look at the state of e.g Rust dev in Atom/VSCode/.. today. It will get there but it might be years for the one in spot #3 to reach the #1
  - greglindahl 9y ago
    Your point exactly? You appear to either switch editors or consider switching on a regular basis, and I don't.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
    - alkonaut 9y ago
      ok :) My point was that if you want the best plugin (not good enough) then the editor must vary. And secondly, if you do stick with one editor it’s surely one of those biggest ones as otherwise the chance is slim of even finding half decent plugins.
  - greglindahl 9y ago
    Hey, you edited your comment to remove what I responded to. Thanks for not labeling the edit.
    - alkonaut 9y ago
      Probably realized just like you that I misinterpreted or formulated something poorly, sorry.

tomcooks 9y ago

> How is it that text editors are all the sudden this weird competition where you have to win? Editor holy wars [0] are not exactly new eh [0] https://www.techfak.uni-bielefeld.de/~joern/jargon/holywars.HTML https://www.techfak.uni-bielefeld.de/~joern/jargon/holywars....