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by iLemming·7y ago·view on hn ↗
Whatever you do, no matter what field you specialize at, if you use a computer, you need to try to minimize the frustration. Frustration comes (mostly) from repetitive, mundane tasks. Whatever can be automated, should be automated.

And Emacs is an excellent tool to help you with that. Yes, it has a steep learning curve, just like any other professional tool.

Would you get into a cabin of an industrial excavator and complain about controls being un-intuitive? Or would you attempt to pilot a helicopter without proper training?

Why nobody ever said: "ah, the interface of an airliner is cumbersome, we need to make it intuitive for newbies"?

There is a strong correlation between the efficiency of a tool and the learning curve. The more efficient is a tool in the professional setting, the steeper is its learning curve.

Learn Emacs. But be prepared for a long (maybe a lifetime) journey. Be ready for challenges. I promise you - one day it will change your subjective view of the world.

1 comments
> Or would you attempt to pilot a helicopter without proper training?

No... not unless i had to.

But where does a coder find emacs gurus to teach them the ropes?

https://www.masteringemacs.org is the best books on Emacs I have ever read. But truly, is just about doing things in Emacs. Start using Emacs and whenever you need to get something done, just google it. After a few days, you'd have sufficient vocabulary to navigate yourself around. Don't be obsessed with configuring and adjusting it to your needs at that point. Jump into that rabbit hole later, when you feel you know what you're doing.