Can a complete noob learn how to program using this?

>>59807939
Possible, but you'll also have to learn how to program emacs at the same time.
That's because the out-of-the-box experience on emacs is absolute garbage. You need to configure and customize until it does what you want it to do and that takes a lot of time and effort. Especially if you're a complete noob. Unless you really like tinkering with software, you should choose something simpler.

>>59808131
Ok, thank you.

>>59808131
Not OP, but any suggestions? Genuinely curious

File: How-to-Learn-Emacs-v2-Large.png (2MB, 4950x3225px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 4950x3225px

>>59808131
That is true, if you don't like the default semantics.

If you like how Emacs operates out-of-the-box, most of your early learning experiences will be focused on learning the keyboard commands and such, reprogramming the editor itself is typically not necessary until you reach a point where you find it does something quirky you don't agree with.

Pic strongly related.

>>59807939
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16Rd46SE-20&list=PL7F907999BA1994A1

Go through the tutorial which I think is on the first page when you open it. Personally I would just use spacemacs as it's super easy to get a *nice* emacs config out of the box. And adding extra layers is way cleaner than the messy config file I usually end up creating.

>>59808262
If you just want a text editor, you can just use the default text editor of your system, e.g.: gedit, mousepad, or kate. On windows there's Notepad++. I don't know about Mac.

There's also Textadept which is what I use. It might require a little configuration, but doing that is a lot simpler than configuring emacs. I recommend it if you want to try a new text editor that's simple and just works. It has most of the features that Notepad++ has and runs on Linux, Mac and Windows.

Otherwise any IDE is also great if you just want to get started and learn how to program, but they aren't available for every language.

>>59807939
I want to learn it just to understand what the big deal is. It's just to easy to get frustrated and jump back to a regular editor.

I wonder what made people push themselves through that initial state. I thought being forced to use it may help, but even back on the Amiga where MicroEmacs was the default editor, I was so glad to finally get a hold of a more regular editor CynusEd, or GoldEd.

It's the best editor ever made.
Learning Emacs is an ongoing journey that may never end, but it's incredibly satisfying to work with.

>>59807939
>falling for the meme

>>59807939
Non-programmer here, what the fuck is the point of Emacs?

If you're going to use Emacs to learn, why not start with a Lisp? That way you will learn how to program and have your way with the editing environment at the same time.

There is a plethora of beginner programming material using Scheme and Common Lisp.

>>59809190
It's an interactive lisp-listener whose basic abstraction is a buffer of text, you can do whatever you want in it, though the main use is programming.

>>59809207
So, it's a Lisp IDE then. Why do people call it a text editor if that's only a portion of what it does?

>>59807939
By reading the fucking manual.

>>59809241
It's often framed as the alternative to VIM in terms of a classic UNIX editor. Except it does a fuck ton of things.

>>59809267
I don't understand how reading the kamasutra will increase the understanding of emacs.

>>59809241
It's not a lisp IDE, you interact with Emacs through its lisp REPL. It is a programmable editing environment.

>Why do people call it a text editor if that's only a portion of what it does?
Its most fundamental use is editing text, although it can be extended to do any number of things. Like play tetris.

>>59809299
My mistake. Like I said, I'm not a programmer. I do some text editing every now and then, but I typically prefer to use Nano since it's lightweight and it reminds me of EDIT from the DOS days.

>>59807939
literally has a built in tutorial right there, you could use that!

kill yourself

>>59807939
man emacs

>>59807939
Anyone can learn to program with Emacs and its programming language, Emacs Lisp. Because Emacs is self-documenting, you can bring up its manual by typing 'C-h i', which includes a book called An Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp.

You can also read it on the Web. https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/eintr/index.html

>>59811828
An amazing and helpful answer, thanks a lot to you for not being a complete dickhole.

>>59808262
Gedit
Kate
Hell, even Vim has a better out of the box experience

>>59808289
Good list. Lists pretty much every command he will ever need in a while.

What beginners don't realize is that even proficient emacs/vim users only use about 5% of what's available to them.