Emacs

/ˈiːmæks/ · Noun · Hacker Culture · Origin: 1976

Definitions

  1. A highly extensible text editor created by Richard Stallman, famous for being so configurable it's essentially an operating system with a text editor built in. The eternal rival of Vim. Joke: Emacs is a great operating system, it just lacks a good text editor.

    In plain English: A powerful, infinitely customizable text editor that's been around since 1976 — its users believe it can do anything, and they're mostly right.

  2. The Emacs vs. Vim debate is the oldest holy war in computing, predating even tabs vs. spaces. Modern developers increasingly use VS Code and sidestep the debate entirely, but the cultural significance persists. Emacs users use Org-mode for everything; Vim users use modal editing for everything.

    Example: 'I manage my calendar, email, TODO list, and IRC chat from inside Emacs. I haven't left the editor in three years. I have become one with the machine.'

    Source: editor war / culture

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