I feel strange after several days of using emacs

I feel strange after several days of using emacs

[Ronald]

When I edit in a editor other than emacs, I will typed the hotkeys in 
emacs automatically. For example, when I'm write this email in 
thunderbird, I typed C-b C-j etc. Then I will think to choose to write 
email in emacs, and at last do everything that need editing in emacs, or 
typing mistake occurs time by time. But emacs can't do everything 
properly. So I'm thinking whether I should quit. But vim has the same 
problem, and others are not so convenient for programming... It's hard 
to choose. Who can give me any suggestion?

Re: I feel strange after several days of using emacs

[David Kastrup]

Ronald <followait@163.com> writes:

> When I edit in a editor other than emacs, I will typed the hotkeys in
> emacs automatically. For example, when I'm write this email in
> thunderbird, I typed C-b C-j etc. Then I will think to choose to write
> email in emacs, and at last do everything that need editing in emacs,
> or typing mistake occurs time by time. But emacs can't do everything
> properly. So I'm thinking whether I should quit. But vim has the same
> problem, and others are not so convenient for programming... It's hard
> to choose. Who can give me any suggestion?

M-! gconf-editor RET

Navigate to

desktop/Gnome/Interface

double-click on
gtk_key_theme

and set it to the value
Emacs

and press
OK

Voila: most GTK applications will have Emacs keybindings.

No such thing for vi lovers, I am afraid.

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum

Sorry, poor spelling.

[Ronald]

Ronald wrote:
> When I edit in a editor other than emacs, I will typed the hotkeys in 
> emacs automatically. For example, when I'm write this email in 
> thunderbird, I typed C-b C-j etc. Then I will think to choose to write 
> email in emacs, and at last do everything that need editing in emacs, or 
> typing mistake occurs time by time. But emacs can't do everything 
> properly. So I'm thinking whether I should quit. But vim has the same 
> problem, and others are not so convenient for programming... It's hard 
> to choose. Who can give me any suggestion?

Re: I feel strange after several days of using emacs

[Ronald]

David Kastrup wrote:
> Ronald <followait@163.com> writes:
> 
>> When I edit in a editor other than emacs, I will typed the hotkeys in
>> emacs automatically. For example, when I'm write this email in
>> thunderbird, I typed C-b C-j etc. Then I will think to choose to write
>> email in emacs, and at last do everything that need editing in emacs,
>> or typing mistake occurs time by time. But emacs can't do everything
>> properly. So I'm thinking whether I should quit. But vim has the same
>> problem, and others are not so convenient for programming... It's hard
>> to choose. Who can give me any suggestion?
> 
> M-! gconf-editor RET
> 
> Navigate to
> 
> desktop/Gnome/Interface
> 
> double-click on
> gtk_key_theme
> 
> and set it to the value
> Emacs
> 
> and press
> OK
> 
> Voila: most GTK applications will have Emacs keybindings.
> 
> No such thing for vi lovers, I am afraid.
> 

Well, hotkeys will conflict, for example Alt-  will popup the menu.

Re: I feel strange after several days of using emacs

[Lennart Borgman]

Ronald wrote:
> When I edit in a editor other than emacs, I will typed the hotkeys in 
> emacs automatically. For example, when I'm write this email in 
> thunderbird, I typed C-b C-j etc. Then I will think to choose to write 
> email in emacs, and at last do everything that need editing in emacs, 
> or typing mistake occurs time by time. But emacs can't do everything 
> properly. So I'm thinking whether I should quit. But vim has the same 
> problem, and others are not so convenient for programming... It's hard 
> to choose. Who can give me any suggestion?

This is one of the reasons I use cua-mode in Emacs. But it helps just a 
bit of course ;-)

Re: I feel strange after several days of using emacs

[John Halton]

On 12/10/06, Ronald <followait@163.com> wrote:
> When I edit in a editor other than emacs, I will typed the hotkeys in
> emacs automatically. For example, when I'm write this email in
> thunderbird, I typed C-b C-j etc. Then I will think to choose to write
> email in emacs, and at last do everything that need editing in emacs, or
> typing mistake occurs time by time. But emacs can't do everything
> properly. So I'm thinking whether I should quit. But vim has the same
> problem, and others are not so convenient for programming... It's hard
> to choose. Who can give me any suggestion?

Perhaps it's just a case of persevering. At first, I found the Emacs
keybindings very strange and hard to get to grips with, but over time
I've got used to switching between "desktop"-style keybindings (Ctrl-X
to "cut", etc.) and Emacs keybindings. While your brain is still
adjusting, moving between the two is hard. Once both are second
nature, the switch will be easier.

It's like a child growing up in a bilingual household - at first they
get the languages muddled up, and say things that combine both
languages. Before long, however, they are fluent in both languages,
while confusing neither.

John

Re: I feel strange after several days of using emacs

[Robert Thorpe]

Ronald wrote:
> When I edit in a editor other than emacs, I will typed the hotkeys in
> emacs automatically. For example, when I'm write this email in
> thunderbird, I typed C-b C-j etc. Then I will think to choose to write
> email in emacs, and at last do everything that need editing in emacs, or
> typing mistake occurs time by time.

I do that from time to time.

If the keys annoy you then you can either change other program to use
Emacs keys, or change Emacs to use CUA keys.  Others have mentioned
how.  This is only a partial solution, since Emacs maps more keys than
other programs do.  Eventually you have to get used to it or make do
with forgetting about the other useful keys.

> But emacs can't do everything
> properly. So I'm thinking whether I should quit. But vim has the same
> problem, and others are not so convenient for programming... It's hard
> to choose. Who can give me any suggestion?

Firstly, pick which bits of Emacs you use.  Some of them may not meet
your needs, but using Emacs does not mean you have to use all of it.

Ultimately it is a trade-off.  Learn the keys used inside Emacs and you
become more proficient inside Emacs.  Sometimes you try to use them
outside Emacs and they don't work, this is the downside.  For me it
happens infrequently enough not to be an issue.

The same is true, not only of Vim, but of any reasonably sophisticated
Editor.  Eclipse is the same for example.