🚀 go-pugleaf

joshi@m.cs.uiuc.edu (Anil Joshi) writes:

   If GNU is not UNIX then why use UNIX utilities?

GNU is duplicating the functionality of UNIX.  If you don't like UNIX's
grep, use GNU's grep instead.

   Could you please emlighten me as to the rationale behind forcing
   the \\.  syntax?

Rather obvious, there are two levels of interpretation going on, and
backslash characters are used to escape things at both levels.

   Is it advantageous over the other syntax or is it because one is forced
   to use elisp (GNU emacs coming from MIT and MIT being the bastion of
   Functional Programming Langs. esp. LISP) and the designers have chosen
   elisp as the language for emacs editor.

You have to do the same thing if you are calling regexp routines from C or
C++, both of which use the backslash character as an escape mechanism in
their string syntax.  (Which other languages use backslash in their strings?)

   I don't see any advantage of using LISP syntax over say REXX for editor
   macros. I can do better in REXX than LISP.

You are confusing macros with functions.  The word "macro" does not have
the meaning in this forum that you seem to think it does.

I presume REXX is a Turing-machine-equivalent language.  Emacs Lisp is
also.  There is no difference in their power.  Lisp is merely a much
easier language to use.  If you don't think Lisp is easier, this is due to
your lack of experience.  Beyond Lisp, Emacs Lisp has many built-in
primitives for manipulating text that makes it very easy to write editor
commands in.

   UNIX utilities don't hang together well due to their origins

What?!?!?!?!?!?  Who told you this???????  If you came to this conclusion
on your own, I pity you.

   and emacs has gone one step further in widening the gap by introducing
   an entirely new set of utilities/interfaces/langauges/tools.

Emacs is really an interface on top of the other interfaces.  Ordinary
users don't have to deal with more than Emacs.  Programmers should have no
problem dealing with multiple interfaces, otherwise perhaps they should
seek a different career.

   But GNU emacs is in my opinion is a step backwards in terms of bringing
   computing closer to the users.

What?!?!?  How long have you been using Emacs???

   1. Exclusion (different from emacs' narrow-region). This allows for
   multiple regions.

Please define more completely so that we may show you the Emacs equivalent.

   2. Rulers lines, margins, tabs and profiles.

Please define these.  Assuming their obvious meanings, Emacs already has
all of them.  I don't see how you could miss them.

   3. Shell language and the editor macro language are completely
   integrated. They are the same. (REXX for VM and TSO/E Clist for ISPF).

Emacs runs on multiple operating systems each of which has a different
shell language.  Working with only one shell language would cripple Emacs.
Instead, it transcends the operating system.  I think making the shell
language and editor extension language the same is a severe
*disadvantage*.

   4. Standard interface for calling utilities from editor macros. They
   get passed onto the underlying login process. emacs call-process
   creates a new shell and runs the command there. Why o why?

This is false garbage.  call-process doesn't create a shell, it simply
forks and execs the process directly.

   Just pass the command to the shell process that is running emacs.

In most operating systems, this is impossible.  Thus it would be a
*disadvantage* to require this.

   I can go on..but the point is that there are some user interfaces that
   should have been incorporated into emacs to make it more user-friendly
   and they can be found in editors from non-UNIX world.

I think the point is that you don't know what you're talking about.

   If GNU acronym puports a new idealogy, then they should have looked at
   some other editors from non-UNIX world and tried to learn a few lessons
   in user-interface from there.

If you could give an example of a lesson in user-interface that Emacs
doesn't already handle, then maybe we could take you more seriously.

   Looks like they have not done their homework.

What is this garbage?

-- 
Joe Wells <jbw@cs.bu.edu>