From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: srandby Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: PATH Variable Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 22:20:08 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Message-ID: <1184649608.358206.203830@m3g2000hsh.googlegroups.com> References: <1184562801.128350.227380@r34g2000hsd.googlegroups.com> <1184595422.795382.260510@o61g2000hsh.googlegroups.com> <857ip0m46i.fsf@lola.goethe.zz> NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1184650898 9900 80.91.229.12 (17 Jul 2007 05:41:38 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 05:41:38 +0000 (UTC) To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Tue Jul 17 07:41:36 2007 Return-path: Envelope-to: geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1IAfoW-0001fv-GW for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Tue, 17 Jul 2007 07:41:36 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1IAfoW-0003UR-2T for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Tue, 17 Jul 2007 01:41:36 -0400 Original-Path: shelby.stanford.edu!newsfeed.stanford.edu!postnews.google.com!m3g2000hsh.googlegroups.com!not-for-mail Original-Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.help Original-Lines: 33 Original-NNTP-Posting-Host: 65.25.57.237 Original-X-Trace: posting.google.com 1184649608 3543 127.0.0.1 (17 Jul 2007 05:20:08 GMT) Original-X-Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com Original-NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 05:20:08 +0000 (UTC) In-Reply-To: <857ip0m46i.fsf@lola.goethe.zz> User-Agent: G2/1.0 X-HTTP-UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X Mach-O; en-US; rv:1.8.1.4) Gecko/20070515 Firefox/2.0.0.4,gzip(gfe),gzip(gfe) Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com Injection-Info: m3g2000hsh.googlegroups.com; posting-host=65.25.57.237; posting-account=ps2QrAMAAAA6_jCuRt2JEIpn5Otqf_w0 Original-Xref: shelby.stanford.edu gnu.emacs.help:150159 X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:45744 Archived-At: On Jul 16, 5:25 pm, David Kastrup wrote: > srandby writes: > > I've seen Emacs derided on a number of forums, but those putting > > down Emacs must not know much of anything about it. > > Those loving it are also not likely to know really much about it. > Would you ask a librarian "and you have read all those books?"? > > -- > David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum Your analogy lacks substance. It is not a librarians job to provide a critique of the books in a library. Now, if a librarian were to review a book in a library, then of course the librarian should have, at the very least, read the book. Similarly, if one wishes to deride Emacs, then one should know how to use Emacs and how it works. Yet, it is an easy matter to find put-downs of Emacs authored by people who clearly know little or nothing about it. Such put-downs are nothing but propaganda. Of course, there is also the case of those who know a great deal about Emacs and subject others to their rants against it on forums not meant for such a purpose. These anti-Emacs self-righteous zealots argue using the in-your-face tactics so popular with television evangelists in order to hide their weak positions. As they can't find an audience who is truly interested in what they have to say, these fanatics find an audience who will almost certainly react against what they have to say. But this is not done to foster an honest debate about Emacs or to help others with their Emacs problems, it is done out of a spirit of arrogance, self-promotion, and ignorance of opposing viewpoints. Scott Randby