Aucbvax.2081
fa.works
utzoo!duke!decvax!ucbvax!lwa@mit-csr@mit-multics
Sat Jul  4 11:29:23 1981
Re: Re: Tools for personal workstations
To me, what is "elegant" about Emacs is its user extensibility,
an aspect which I agree is not adequately addressed by UNIX.
Unfortunately, even in Emacs it is difficult for the average
user to make any extensions beyond simple key redefinitions,
because the language provided (TECO) is arcane in the extreme.

The real problem with user extensibility is that to provide for
extensions beyond those contemplated by the original designer it
is necessary to provide some form of user programmability.  As
previously pointed out in this forum, users often tend to learn
only as much about a system as they need to solve the immediate
problem at hand.  I do not believe that most users will spend
the effort required to learn to "program", even if doing so
ultimately makes their jobs simpler.
                                       -Larry Allen
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