Re: simple editor required

[Paul Edwards]

"Bruce Ingalls" <bingalls@CUT-this-SPAM-BLOCK.fit-zones.com> wrote in message 
news:X0mDa.1570$Fu.866812@twister.nyc.rr.com...
> > emacs 20.7.1 behaves as I expect.  I do ctrl-escape to start
> > marking, and then I can find or goto to get to the spot where
> > I want the block to end, and then I go ctrl-w to cut.
> >
> > xemacs loses my marker.
> >
> >>How do you expect to unselect text?
> >
> > ctrl-g.
> >
> >>Emacs is designed to be powerful, not simple.
> >>Try nedit or pico for less featureful editors.
> >
> > I'm already familiar with the emacs commands, it's just that I
> > seem to get different results with every new emacs I encounter.
> >
> > It's like they keep changing the defaults just to annoy me, and I
> > need to find some arcane thing to put it back to normal.
>
> Since you are an accomplished Emacs user,

Not sure about "accomplished".  I know the basics of
micro-emacs, and thus also the basics of full-emacs.

> your post is starting to take on "troll"-like elements.

[speech deleted].

> You ask for a featureless, simple editor, then ask for a feature that no

No, I asked how to stop emacs setting up a whole lot of crap that I
don't want, by default, when all I am after is making a powerful
editor get the basics right, given that it doesn't work as a default.

> editor provides. The good news is that Emacs makes more things possible,
> than with other editors. The bad news, is
> 1) this is what makes Emacs powerful, and not simple
> 2) Emacs is run by the community.
>
> You are somehow looking at the above added/optional feature, and
> wondering why it disappears from some releases, which perhaps stick to
> the core, standard features.

I'm wondering why the basics keep changing and aren't
consistent.  Like even marking a block of text.

> Emacs could mention that some features are enhanced options. If you know
> of an effective way to do so, such that this does not unnecessarily get
> users' hopes up, let us know.

Not sure what you're talking about there.

> More bad news:
> For a short term solution, you will either have to hire a consultant, or
> write a .emacs file.

I have a .emacs file, and it behaves differently to each other, plus
different to previous versions, even by default.  Fundamentally
changing the basics.  I only use the basics, and every single company
I go to the .emacs needs to be changed.  Even to get the delete key
to work.  If it is even possible.  That is very strange and has nothing
to do with advanced features.  This is fundamental basic editting
operations.

BFN.  Paul.