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Users rely on GNU Emacs as a versatile text editor for editing and maintaining configuration files on Linux servers. It is widely used for …
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What is GNU Emacs?
GNU Emacs is described as a free extensible and customizable text editor for the Lisp programming language.
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What is GNU Emacs?
GNU Emacs Technical Details
| Operating Systems | Unspecified |
|---|---|
| Mobile Application | No |
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TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!
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Users rely on GNU Emacs as a versatile text editor for editing and maintaining configuration files on Linux servers. It is widely used for various text editing tasks, including reformatting and cleaning up tabular data using macros and rectangular selections. One of the key use cases of GNU Emacs is its ability to edit files on remote Linux machines, providing an efficient way to make changes to deployed infrastructure. Users also appreciate Emacs for tasks like fixing small code changes, running code in the background, and creating to-do lists and quick notes for future reference. Additionally, many users utilize Emacs' org-mode for note-taking, managing to-do lists, and organizing agenda files. It serves as an invaluable development tool for multiple programming languages such as Python, NSIS scripts, and C++. Emacs solves the problem of coding on remote servers by providing a seamless development environment. Its consistency across different tasks, including software development and administration work, along with the productivity benefits of using Org Mode, make it an integral part of users' workflow. The familiarity and ease of use provided by Emacs make it a preferred choice for many users, who find it difficult to switch to other editors that may not meet their needs as effectively.
Simple and easy-to-use interface: Many users have praised Emacs for its simplicity and ease of use, especially in Linux-based operating systems. It has a user-friendly interface that allows for intuitive navigation and convenient keyboard shortcuts, enhancing productivity.
Versatile with extensive functionalities: Emacs offers a wide range of functionalities and shortcuts through its extensive library and rich macros. This versatility allows users to efficiently perform various tasks such as programming, shell access, and organization using extensions like Org Mode.
Highly customizable: The extensibility and flexibility of Emacs are highly regarded by users. They appreciate the ability to customize the editor to suit their needs, work in different languages, and adhere to specific coding standards. This customization power enables users to tailor Emacs according to their preferences, making it their own unique text editing experience.
Steep Learning Curve: Users have found that Emacs has a steep learning curve, requiring a significant amount of time and effort to become proficient. Some users mention the initial high learning curve, especially for those coming from an IDE-like environment.
Complexity and Size: The complexity and large size of Emacs are common concerns among users. Some users find it challenging to learn and remember the shortcuts for Emacs, while others mention that Emacs can be clunky and not as polished as modern editors.
Default Configuration: Some users mention that the default configuration of Emacs is not appealing and may require customization for a better user experience. This requires additional time and effort on the part of the user to configure it according to their preferences.
Based on user reviews, there are several recommendations for Emacs. Users highly recommend spending time on the built-in tutorial to learn how to use Emacs effectively. They also suggest exploring available plugins and packages, such as Lisp, to enhance functionality and customization. Additionally, users advise considering alternative editors like Vim, Atom, Sublime Text, and Brackets before choosing Emacs. Overall, users emphasize the importance of investing time in learning and exploring Emacs due to its highly functional and customizable nature.
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January 18, 2020
Still useful after all these years.
Emacs is utilized as one of the primary text editors available for global use across our remote build servers. This allows engineers to modify files on a system with a familiar interface that they can access on their own local computer. Emacs is adept at language recognition and highlights syntax in a meaningful way. It also allows users to set their own custom configurations for their user profile and is expandable via installation packages.
- Fast
- Syntax highlighting
- Shortcuts are not standard.
- Sometimes certain key combinations puts it into an unfamiliar state.
- Emacs is free to use.
- Most firmware and electrical engineers are familiar with Emacs making it easy to set up new employees to immediately start working.
Emacs can be easier to use than Vim as it is more similar to modern text editors. Its graphical interface is also better than anything Vim has to offer. Emacs also has better syntax highlighting and recognition of coding languages. Interestingly, Emacs handles clipboard copy and pasting into other programs a lot better than Vim does. Overall, if you know how to use Emacs, it is often preferred over Vim.
December 12, 2019
GNU Emacs - Swiss army knife of organization and text tools.
I use GNU Emacs as my primary text editor, as well as an organization tool for project tracking and to-dos as well as scheduling and planning. It is also used for taking notes and recording bits of information for easy retrieval later. I also use it for searching and parsing multiple large log files for troubleshooting.
- GNU Emacs is a text editor that can do almost anything that you want to do with it. It is fairly easy to extend the functionality using Emacs Lisp with a large library available.
- It can be easily customized using themes as well as custom code to change the look and feel as well as how everything works.
- There is a bit of a learning curve for Emacs. In order to use it most efficiently, it takes a little time to learn the Emacs way, as well as learning the keyboard commands for everything. Many things can be done from the menu, but the keyboard is really most efficient.
- Customizing and extending Emacs is done with Emacs Lisp. While very flexible, Lisp is a bit different programming language than many people are used to.
- Emacs is free software, there is no cost at all.
- It has helped tremendously in situations where many, or large, log files need to be searched.
- Notepad++ and OneNote
While Notepad++ is a very capable editor, it is not nearly as customizable and extendable as GNU Emacs.
Microsoft OneNote is a nice, easy-to-use note-taking and organization tool. Its advantages are that it is GUI based, and it is easy to embed images, audio, and other media. If it doesn't do exactly what you want, or work how you want it to, you cannot change it. Emacs (and Org-mode for Emacs) can be easily modified and extended to do exactly what you want as well as work exactly how you want it to.
Microsoft OneNote is a nice, easy-to-use note-taking and organization tool. Its advantages are that it is GUI based, and it is easy to embed images, audio, and other media. If it doesn't do exactly what you want, or work how you want it to, you cannot change it. Emacs (and Org-mode for Emacs) can be easily modified and extended to do exactly what you want as well as work exactly how you want it to.