>> Mode editors like vi and emacs increase the learning curve

> Maybe your definition of modal is different from mine (or maybe you
> use emacs in "viper" (vi emulation) mode).  Unless I'm running gnus
> or vm, typing an "a" in emacs *always* inserts the letter "a" into
> the current buffer.

To paraphrase that last sentence slightly,

"Unless I'm in some other mode, typing a inserts an a".

Now, let me describe vi.

"Unless I'm not in insert mode, typing a inserts an a".

Run that by me again about how vi counts as modal but emacs doesn't?

Note also that this aside, emacs *does* have modes.  Go and fire up
emacs.  Don't run gnus or vm or anything like that.  Now type ESC.  Or
control-X.

Now you are in a mode in which typing a doesn't insert an a.

> Also, when I run emacs it has menus at the top.

There is no such single thing "emacs".  The emacs variant you run,
configured as you have it, has menus - but, for example, the emacs
variant I use probably could be made to have something menuish, but it
would be a major pain.  Nobody who's mentioned emacs has specified
which emacs variant the remark applies to (this probably doesn't matter
in a practical sense, since I don't think anyone has actually
recommended emacs for inclusion.)

> (very often, the guys with the purse strings are "common (wo)men").

This points up something that's always been a great mystery to me.

Your average executive would never think of second-guessing expert
advice from an expert banker, or electrician, or plumber...but has no
hesitation ignoring a computer expert's advice on computers because
some ad campaign makes some other machine, OS, piece of hardware,
whatever, sound attractive.

The mystery, of course, is "why on earth is this?".

					der Mouse

			       mouse@rodents.montreal.qc.ca
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