help-gnu-emacs
[Top][All Lists]
Advanced

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

computer and wheel time (was: Re: Seeking advice on writing a "line-base


From: Emanuel Berg
Subject: computer and wheel time (was: Re: Seeking advice on writing a "line-based" major mode)
Date: Tue, 09 Jun 2015 00:32:42 +0200
User-agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/24.4 (gnu/linux)

Marcin Borkowski <mbork@mbork.pl> writes:

> Yeah, sure. That's a good idea in general, but it has
> one drawback: there's only 24 hours per day. [...]
>
> Again: in general, yes. OTOH, there are so many
> other enjoyable, interesting, and creative
> activities out there, even if you use ready-made
> solutions to /some/ of your problems... And writing
> rather simple and boring Elisp code is not really
> very high on my list. (Not that writing Elisp is
> simple or boring in general: just that coding this
> particular thing seems to me a lot like
> reimplementing well-known things, and reimplementing
> a "format"-like function, for instance, seems to be
> not very enjoyable/interesting/creative...)

In general, I'd say using a computer isn't a good idea
if you are concerned with time. In particular, using
Emacs and even more so, configuring/extending it will
in effect disintegrate even the most sparse schedule!

It is a paradox: you think, if I can make my system
faster and more powerful for my purposes, I will be
more productive. While true, once you have achieved
that higher level of productiveness and power, you
realize there is so much more to do, and then you have
to reach *that* level as well, and then it just goes
on and on much like this sentence I'm currently typing
(or so it would seem).

Compare building a bicycle wheel with a nipples,
a rim, spokes, and a hub. Do it for one hour while
listening to an episode of "Survivor", that is
experienced as - yeah, about one hour!

But write an Elisp defun, a zsh function, and write
1-2 Usenet posts - and that seems like the blink of an
eye. Now check the time: a full hour has passed!

No, the best (only?) reason to do it is if you like to
do it. Then you should, for sure.

Remember, "this is not the time to argue about time.
We don't have the time!"

-- 
underground experts united
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573


reply via email to

[Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread]