From: Dan Zwell <dzwell@...>
Date: 2007-07-22T11:03:59+09:00
Subject: Re: [OT] Re: Ruby Editor

Chad Perrin wrote:
> I'm not sure that tracks.  You consider Emacs to be more customizable
> because all the plugins are written in Elisp, but you consider Vim less
> customizable because you have to know vimscript to write plugins.  Am I
> reading what you're saying correctly?
> 
> So . . . how are those two things different from one another?
> 
> (leaving aside for the moment the ability to write significant chunks of
> plugin code in other languages -- which I think is present in both, but
> more obvious and common with Vim)
> 

My theory: forcing writers of plugins to write in one language has the 
side effect of creating a community of developers that can all 
understand each other's work, for the most part. These best of these 
plugins are more likely to be accepted into the core of the editor, 
because they are already in the "preferred scripting language".

What I know: I have had an easier time setting up functions that do more 
powerful things, because everything in Emacs seems to be based on 
functions, and they can always be modified it one of a few ways (change 
a variable, add a hook, or redefine a function). Maybe it's just that I 
like elisp better than vimscript.

Dan