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⬅️ Previous capture (2021-12-17)
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Oh dear, an interesting question, that! When I was getting started with Unix, in the middle / late 1990s, I started learning Unix on remote shell providers over ssh. This was back when computers and networks were slow, when disks and memory were small (and also slow). I originally wanted to try emacs because it was advertised as immensely powerful and complex and I wanted to master such a tool. But it took so long to start that--as an impatient teenager--I wanted something faster. I switched to vim (or, given the shell provider I was using was running OpenBSD, it might've been nvi), and haven't really done much with emacs since. I tried org mode, though really only as an outliner, but besides that I've stuck with vim. I don't remember much about my early explorations of Unix, but that specific experience sticks out in my memory. If I'd gotten my start with Unix later, it's entirely possible I'd have a different preference. My approach to editing, how I think about work, school, and hobbies, is a result of my specific place in history.