3 ms·

Emacs is going to be just as obtuse for your everyday business analyst as LaTeX

eadmund 9y ago
The original emacs paper[0] noted that many of the users who started programming were secretaries who didn't know that they could. Learning how to truly use a computer is as important in the 21st century as learning to read was in the 19th: those who find emacs obtuse need to learn it just as certainly as those who found letters confusing. [0] https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/emacs-paper.html#SEC29 https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/emacs-paper.html#SEC29
- cup-of-tea 9y ago
  Yes, it is unfortunate that so many use computer-shaped devices but only a very small number actually do computing. The rise of point-and-click has done a really good job of hiding the possibilities from people. Eben Moglen likened point-and-click to a "caveman interface" where your only options are pointing and grunting, as opposed to using language to communicate your ideas. Only programmers do the latter but that is a shame.
  - deckard1 9y ago
    > Only programmers do the latter but that is a shame. Part of me says this is job security for software developers. The other part of me saw non-programmers try to use Excel as a layout/desktop publishing/vector graphics tool. But seriously, if you know how to program and you do literally anything else, then you become a developer. It's the cushiest job with the highest pay. The other reason it will never happen is because the developer's job isn't to make the office worker more efficient (that's Microsoft's job, so I suppose some developer does it, just not all developers). The developer's job is to increase efficiency. Either internal efficiency, or external efficiency. And that means: jobs will be lost. Rather than training office workers how to program and have them leave for a developer job, it's better to just pay developers and have them automate an entire class of office workers' jobs. Hopefully all developers get the opportunity to witness internal efficiency planning. Most developers are disconnected from the process. But to actually meet the people you're going to eliminate with software in a month or two is truly something.

The original emacs paper[0] noted that many of the users who started programming were secretaries who didn't know that they could. Learning how to truly use a computer is as important in the 21st century as learning to read was in the 19th: those who find emacs obtuse need to learn it just as certainly as those who found letters confusing. [0] https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/emacs-paper.html#SEC29 https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/emacs-paper.html#SEC29

cup-of-tea 9y ago
Yes, it is unfortunate that so many use computer-shaped devices but only a very small number actually do computing. The rise of point-and-click has done a really good job of hiding the possibilities from people. Eben Moglen likened point-and-click to a "caveman interface" where your only options are pointing and grunting, as opposed to using language to communicate your ideas. Only programmers do the latter but that is a shame.
- deckard1 9y ago
  > Only programmers do the latter but that is a shame. Part of me says this is job security for software developers. The other part of me saw non-programmers try to use Excel as a layout/desktop publishing/vector graphics tool. But seriously, if you know how to program and you do literally anything else, then you become a developer. It's the cushiest job with the highest pay. The other reason it will never happen is because the developer's job isn't to make the office worker more efficient (that's Microsoft's job, so I suppose some developer does it, just not all developers). The developer's job is to increase efficiency. Either internal efficiency, or external efficiency. And that means: jobs will be lost. Rather than training office workers how to program and have them leave for a developer job, it's better to just pay developers and have them automate an entire class of office workers' jobs. Hopefully all developers get the opportunity to witness internal efficiency planning. Most developers are disconnected from the process. But to actually meet the people you're going to eliminate with software in a month or two is truly something.