Editing 1823: Hottest Editors
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete|Needs explanation of title text.}} | |
− | + | The comic has a play on the word 'Editor'. The editors from 1995 to 2000 are plain-text editors, popular among many programmers and other computer scientists to edit machine-readable text. | |
− | Two of the earlier editors, {{w|Vim (text editor)|Vim}} and {{w|Emacs|Emacs}}, | + | Two of the earlier editors, {{w|Vim (text editor)|Vim}} and {{w|Emacs|Emacs}}, allow the user to perform common actions (like scrolling, marking text, saving or searching) using keyboard shortcuts. |
− | As Vim and Emacs use different | + | As Vim and Emacs use different shortcuts, someone who is proficient in one editor may have difficulty using the other editor, since the shortcuts are different. |
− | The | + | The 'Editor wars' refer to Vim and Emacs users debating heavily on which of the two editors is the best (for which keyboard shortcuts, or bindings, are just one of the arguments employed). |
− | + | Modern editors (including Notepad++ and Sublime Text) mainly use the shortcuts determined by the operating system, again different from Vim and Emacs. | |
− | {{w|Notepad++}} is a popular text and source code editor, initially released in 2003 | + | {{w|Notepad++}} is a popular text and source code editor, initially released in 2003. {{w|Sublime Text}} is the current "most popular" text editor according to Randall, released in 2008. |
− | {{w|Sublime Text}} is the current "most popular" text editor according to | ||
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− | The 2020 editor '{{w|CRISPR}}' is not a text editor, but a technique used to edit DNA | + | The 2020 editor '{{w|CRISPR}}' is not a text editor, but a technique used to edit DNA. The comic may suggests that we will not be editing digital plain-text files, but DNA in 2020, possibly due to advances in {{w|DNA digital data storage}}. |
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− | + | To make the transition between editors easier, some editors offer Vim or Emacs key-bindings: the shortcuts will be (roughly) the same as in Vim or in Emacs, so that someone who used to be proficient in one of those editors can proceed to use the keyboard shortcuts in the way he or she was used to. | |
The comic suggests that in 2025, the Vim key-bindings will be the most popular for editing genes using CRISPR. | The comic suggests that in 2025, the Vim key-bindings will be the most popular for editing genes using CRISPR. | ||
− | This creates a comical effect: CRISPR is a technique that operates on genes and not on digital hardware, so it does not use a keyboard per se. Consequently, it is surprising that CRISPR would have key bindings. The comic also suggests that in 2025, Vim will make a comeback in DNA editing, thus having 'won' the battle with Emacs. | + | This creates a comical effect: CRISPR is a technique that operates on genes, and not on digital hardware, so it does not use a keyboard per se. Consequently, it is surprising that CRISPR would have key bindings. The comic also suggests that in 2025, Vim will make a comeback in DNA editing, thus having 'won' the battle with Emacs. |
− | The title text says that Randall has been banned from the code base of {{w|Tesla, Inc.|Tesla}}, as he keeps sending {{w|pull request}}s (code changes) to steer a Tesla car using Vim keybindings. Not only does this seem | + | The title text says that Randall has been banned from the code base of {{w|Tesla, Inc.|Tesla}}, as he keeps sending {{w|pull request}}s (code changes) to steer a Tesla car using Vim keybindings. Not only does this seem impossible, but it seems dangerous to steer a car with a (computer) keyboard. The arguably most important keybindings of a text editor are those to move the editing location (the cursor) around. Vim, in addition to dedicated keys present on most keyboards, supports the use of "h" for moving left, "l" for moving right, "j" for down, and "k" for up. To use these in a vehicular context, up and down would probably, as in many racing games, be mapped to acceleration and braking, respectively. One additional problem with using essentially binary inputs (key pressed or not) as a replacement for a car's steering wheel is achieving different degrees of direction change. Pressing, say, the "h" key could either cause the car to turn its wheels left by a pre-set, fixed amount, or it could turn them left the more the longer the key is held down. There has been a [http://www.autoblog.com/2017/02/20/doom-porsche-911-infotainment-hack/ spoof] based on the reverse priciple, however. |
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+ | Another question is how to map the exit-without-saving and save-then-exit operations of a text editor to a car. It must be assumed that exit-without-save would cause the car to return to the just-finished trip's origin point, while saving the location would let the car remain in place. | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | : | + | :Hottest Editors |
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:1995-2000—[Emacs–Vim Editor war] | :1995-2000—[Emacs–Vim Editor war] | ||
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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