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Re: Editors for TEI


From: Andreas Roehler
Subject: Re: Editors for TEI
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:33:55 +0100
User-agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.19 (X11/20081227)

Wendell Piez wrote:
> Peter,
> 
> At 05:37 PM 1/26/2010, you wrote:
>> Lou and Patrick are both right, of course, in different circumstances.
>> I used to try and tell users that editing text using Emacs isn't
>> difficult, just different (I was wrong: for a beginner, it's difficult
>> :-)
> 
> I think learning Emacs is like learning to pronounce French.
> 
> If you are lucky, you get a chance to do it when a crucial developmental
> window is open. This is probably in your (relative) youth, and probably
> fairly early in your experience with computers, before brain pathways
> have been consolidated. Then it becomes second nature and you don't see
> why anyone can't do it.
> 
> If you're like most of us, you miss the window and you never learn. And
> trying to fake it is frustrating and embarrassing.
> 
> On the other hand, you might know another language, which serves you
> quite nicely despite its purported deficiencies.
> 
> Cheers,
> Wendell
> 
> 
> 
> ======================================================================
> Wendell Piez                            mailto:address@hidden
> Mulberry Technologies, Inc.                http://www.mulberrytech.com
> 17 West Jefferson Street                    Direct Phone: 301/315-9635
> Suite 207                                          Phone: 301/315-9631
> Rockville, MD  20850                                 Fax: 301/315-8285
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>   Mulberry Technologies: A Consultancy Specializing in SGML and XML
> ======================================================================
> 

Hi,

sorry for being a little bit serious about it...

See three different causes for Emacs being difficult for beginners - while 
finally living without seems just no longer acceptable :-)

1) wrong didactic focus of built-in Emacs-tutorials on keys instead of commands 
or rules
2) the freedom to change and/or extend is a dangerous promess for beginners, 
and still in later times ;-)
3) Environments for different languages are to build up by hand often

The good news IMHO: All that may be avoided by a better guide for beginners, 
resp. a delivered customization.


Andreas

--
https://code.launchpad.net/s-x-emacs-werkstatt/
















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