Re: Need an enabler for a bad habit.

[David Kastrup <dak@gnu.org>]

William Case <billlinux@rogers.com> writes:

> On Wed, 2006-01-11 at 16:05 +0100, Mathias Dahl wrote:
>
>> So, what you want is to be able to click in the echo area (the area
>> below the mode line) to get the "M-x prompt" (without needing to type
>> M-x), is it?
>
> Essentially, yes.  But I have always thought what you have called
> the echo area was the mini-buffer in emacs and I don't even need the
> "M-x prompt".  I just want my cursor blinking in the very first
> field/column of the echo area.  I will type the command or
> accelerator keys that I need after the cursor is placed.  I would
> expect that the cursor would remain at the end of the command line
> until I push Enter.
>
> If you open a virtual terminal and type a couple of shell commands, you
> can see what I mean.
>
> I want to reconfirm, I am not advocating that others may want this
> or that it is something emacs should automatically do.  In fact, it
> is a waste of time and clicks and/or keystrokes.  However,
> intuitively, as in a command line on a terminal, I like to see that
> I have moved on to the next command by seeing the cursor at the
> beginning of a cleared command line (the command-to-be, so to
> speak), that I have a second or two to think about what exactly I am
> going to type next; and what I type next will be a command of some
> sort.
>
> It is a habit that comes from 30 years of being a computer user.

I suggest you stay with ed or ex.  A vim-based ex might come close to
your expectations of what an editor is supposed to do.

Most other people nowadays have gotten used to visual rather than
command-line centric editors.

If that is different with you, there is no point in picking an editor
that works with different user interface principles.

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum