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Rob Pike created acme because he wanted an interface that would use the mouse, unlike the regular vim setup.

http://plan9.bell-labs.com/sys/doc/acme.html

Meanwhile, traditional UNIX users all developed subconscious phobias of their mice, because they use focus-follows-mouse and therefore moving their mouse caused them to accidentally type in the wrong window. This is why they like to so rabidly claim to be super-efficient typing wizards by using keyboard chords for all their text selection needs.

Acme is also more UNIX-like (Plan9-like?) than EMACS, which is just an alien Lisp image invading your machine and seeking to become an email reader/rampant AI/planet conqueror. I always assumed Hurd failed as a project because, once it ran Emacs, nobody ever really needed to develop the rest of the OS.



hahaha. I love this answer! So rob pike wanted a vim that used the mouse? did he follow the vim paradigm of having composable/repeatable/whatever you want to call vim commands (you know what I mean) or the emacs version of "oh, just throw a programming language in there and they'll be fine"? also is it modal like vim?

Finally, don't speak ill of the emacs, I've got it on my machine and I worry it's listening, I swear after I wrote that last lisp function I heard it whisper, I grow more afraid every day. it can hear us. we are not alone, I type three escapes and it merely laughs at my naivety these days.


haha! I love this comment. I have to disagree with one point though, I use mouse-focus and I love Acme. I've written my own thoughts elsewhere on this page, but they're less conclusive than yours.




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