emacs

This is the final installment in a three parts series about Emacs and Vim as programming editors. I've discussed Emacs in the first part and Vim in the second one. Let's see now which one I choose as my favorite tool for editing source code, and frankly everything else.

This is the second of a three parts series about Emacs and Vim as programming editors. I've briefly reviewed Emacs in the first part and now will talk about Vim.

Yes, I know there are plenty of Vim and Emacs comparisons out there but I wanted to throw my own and focus on the use of both editors as programming tools.

Some publications mention a holy war between users of Vim and Emacs but I don't think war is the right word and refuse to even comment about the holy part. War is something that stupid people do. We, good programmers, are not stupid. Period.

Emacs and Vim are powerful editors for powerful users (and you're one of those aren't you?), useful tools that allow us writing and modifying code faster. Both can be used as word processors, I do all of my writing with Vim, including this article and my next book. Emacs goes even further providing an environment for doing much more than just editing text.

Programming tools and languages are very subjetive choices. Some get used to a set of tools and stick to them, even if new or better options appear. I prefer being open, if there's some alternative that could make me work faster and better I spend some time learning about it, and by some time I mean anything from a few hours to some weeks. It's a logical investment in useful knowledge.

I've written this three parts article to help you in making the right decision about the right editor. It's a very important one, specially if you spend eight or more hours a day swimming in code. My focus will be on productivity for programmers.

In this first part I'll talk about Emacs, the second installment will be focused on Vim and I'll conclude the series with some ideas on which editor I think you should choose for your programming tasks. All of this, of course, based on my own experience so your mileage may vary.

If you are already a Vim or Emacs user, I don't intend to change your mind but taking a look at the other side and comparing won't hurt, you may even get a little inspiration. If you don't use either yet and consider yourself a smart programmer this may be the time to give one of these guys a try.