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diff --git a/sites/pmikkelsen.com/me/how-i-started-using-acme.md b/sites/pmikkelsen.com/me/how-i-started-using-acme.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9e37dd7 --- /dev/null +++ b/sites/pmikkelsen.com/me/how-i-started-using-acme.md @@ -0,0 +1,117 @@ +## The beginning + +My very first code editor was visual studio 2010 for windows 7. This was +when I didn't know what programming was, and a teacher I had suggested +that we used that, so we could start learning some C#. It was very fun and +all, but soon after, I decided that I wanted to learn another language, +and the whole idea of using an IDE which is specialized for a specific +programming language or environment just seemed very odd to me. Surely +there had to be better options, where I as a user could decide by myself +what languages I wanted support for. I tried out multiple different +small editors but didn't really like any of them. + +After some time, I decided that I wanted to try linux, and I installed +fedora or linux mint (don't remember at this point), and I liked it very +much. Comming from windows where it is normal just to go to a random +website and download the tools I needed, it was a great joy to be able +to just type a command in the terminal and watch my program get installed. + +## First try: vim + +After reading online for some time, it seemed that the editor which +all the cool linux users used was vim, so I decided to learn that. The +experience was very different from what I was used to, but I liked the +keyboard shortcuts and that it looked very cool. Of course I installed +every plugin that I had read about online and it all became a mess, +but I stuck with it for around 3-4 years. The things I liked the most +was that I felt it was very fast to do what I wanted, but unfortunately +the flow with multiple files was never something I could get used to, +and all the plugins made me sick. + +## Second try: emacs + +Just to give another very popular editor a try, I installed emacs sometime +2-3 years ago. Comming from vim, the keyboard shortcuts in emacs sucks, +but the editor itself is just so much more powerful, because plugins and +customisations could be written in a real programming language. I started, +as many other emacs users do, to use emacs for everything i could. I read +my mails, watched PDFs, managed my system, and even used it as my window +manager for a period. Around the same time that I started using emacs, +I also started using OpenBSD as a secondary operating system. I noticed +that many very good tools are available in unix, but emacs almost has +everything implemented again in elisp, which seemed stupid to me. But hey, +it works so I stuck with it. Until late 2019. + +## Now acme + +One day in school when one of my group mates asked if I could look at +something for him, I saw that he was using visual studio code, which +made it natural to use a mouse to click around in the file. Of course +this was also possible in emacs, but since I came from vim, it was never +something that I did. He argued that it was much faster to just click in +the file where he wanted to edit, than to navigate using the keyboard, and +I thought that maybe he was right, so I started digging. After some time +looking though the internet for some editors which made much use of the +mouse, I found acme and decided to install it. And wow it was different. + +[![A picture of acme in action][1]][1] + +Acme uses the mouse for everything, since there are very few keyboard +shortcuts (not even copy and paste). As shown on the picture, there are no +menus and no icons; everything is just text, and the different buttons on +the mouse can interpret that text in different ways. For example, middle +clicking on the text `New` wil create a new text frame, and right clicking +on the text `example` will search the file for the word. Actually, it is +more advanced than that since the right click will first send the selected +text to something called the plumber, which might do something fun like +opening the file which has that name. I suggest interrested readers to +read the page [here](http://acme.cat-v.org/) and some of the documents +linked from that site to learn more about acme. The video introduction +from Russ Cox [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP1xVpMPn8M) is +also great. + + +## What I like about acme + +* **The colours**: they cannot be changed without modifying the source, +but luckily for me, I love those pale bright colours. In fact, there +are the very reason this website has the colours that it has. + +* **Writing commands**: since acme allows users to control it via the 9P +protocol (if you don't understand, read the links above), it is possible +to write "plugins" or commands in whatever language I want. After +just creating a program with the needed functionality, it is possible +to write the name somewhere and middle click on it, just like it was +always there. Not may editors makes it possible to use the environment +as much as acme does, which was also one of my wonders about emacs back +then. It allows me to turn it into *my* IDE using whatever tools I see fit, +instead of depending on support directly in the editor. + +* **Everything as text**: this means that if I run a gdb session via +the `win` command, it is totally possible for me to just scroll up in the +history and delete lines which are not important, and to write notes +as I debug. Also, since commands are just text which is clicked, it is +possible to have a document with commands which are useful in a given +project, which I can then open and click. + +* **Lack of customisation**: while this might seem strange, comming from +a vim and emacs background, it surely is wonderful to have an editor +which does *not* encourage the user to customise the hell out of it. I +have spent way too much time doing this in the past and it had to stop. + +* **Lack of syntax highlighting and auto completion**: some people love +it and can't live without it, but I very much prefer to learn the syntax +of the language based on the contents, not based on some colours an +editor throws at me. Also I feel like I learn and remember much better +when there is no auto completion. + +## Other editors I use sometimes + +Sometimes I have to do very small editing tasks, and sometimes as root, +in which case it is just simpler to open the file in vi. Note that this +is the small vi, and not the "improved" vim. I also sometimes edit my +text in sam with is another editor written by Rob Pike, and I quite like +that one too for smaller projects. You can read more about sam +[here](http://sam.cat-v.org/). + +[1]: /images/acme-in-action.png
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/sites/pmikkelsen.com/me/stuff-i-use.md b/sites/pmikkelsen.com/me/stuff-i-use.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..08aa7e7 --- /dev/null +++ b/sites/pmikkelsen.com/me/stuff-i-use.md @@ -0,0 +1,46 @@ +* Note: Last updated on 2020/05/28 + +# Operating system + +I mostly use [guix][1] but sometimes I need software that is not yet +ported, and then I use [fedora][2]. If I could, I would use [9front][3] +alot more, since the system is much better and different in my opinion. I +also like [OpenBSD][4] alot. + +# Text editor + +Acme from plan9port. Sometimes I use emacs if I have to edit scheme code, since automatic closing of matching `(` and `)` makes life much easier. + +# Shell + +I use the [rc shell][5] since it works nicely in both acme and 9term from plan9port. Also I like its syntax alot more than the syntax of bash. + +# Web browser + +Mainy firefox (this page is only tested on firefox, so please let me +know if you have problems on other browsers). + +# Laptop + +I use a Lenovo Thinkpad E495 with an AMD ryzen 3700U and 16 gigabytes +of ram. It is a fairly good computer for the price, and OpenBSD is +supported out of the box with the exception of wifi. For this reason, I +have small usb wifi dongle that is constantly plugged in, which performs a +lot worse than what some people would like, but for me it is no big deal. + + +# Mouse and keyboard + +Since I have never been a fan of touchpads on laptops, I use an external +mouse which is a Logitech MX Master 3. I also have a keyboard that I +sometimes plug in if I have to do more writing than what I can comfortably +do on my laptop. The keyboard is from the coolermaster masterkeys lite L +bundle. Clicking in acme using the scroll wheel instead of using a true +3-button mouse is sometimes a bit annoying, but its OK. + + +[1]: https://guix.gnu.org/ +[2]: https://getfedora.org/ +[3]: http://9front.org/ +[4]: https://openbsd.org/ +[5]: https://plan9.io/sys/doc/rc.html
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