A while ago on one of my older articles, I came across the following comment:
Maybe, he’s right? Maybe the REAL editors are vim and Emacs:
emacs
Then it all became obvious to me. Why would someone want a nice GUI when we can use terminal based editors, such as vim or emacs. I wasn’t questioning the reality behind all the GUIs… In order to question the reality like a REAL programmer, I need to stop using graphical interfaces, they’re evil. Just like the evil corporations that make us pay for proprietary operating systems that are constantly spying on us. The corporations that steal our privacy and activate our webcams when we sleep. Corporations which control us subconsciously in order to be in control of our lives; who we vote for, how much we earn and who we become. I can see it now, but I’ve been so blind all these years. How could I never see this? How come? Is it too late for me? What can I do to save others? Do others even exist? I took the red pill and now, I am a completely different person. Thank you John, if that is in fact your real name, for this revelation.
I should start by installing a Linux distribution, covering my webcam with tape and destroying my microphone. I will also need to remove the sim card from my phone, destroy the Bluetooth module, disconnect all the network cards and scratching the fingerprint sensor on my phone to the point it’s unusable. Real programmers don’t use mice nor track pads, so I will also throw mine away. Real programmers certainly don’t need the internet. When it comes to programming, I will only use nano/vim/emacs. Real programmers also build websites and apps in Assembly or machine code itself. I should also use a magnetized needle and a magnetic disk to write that machine code.
But seriously, how did we get from choosing an editor of your choice, to questioning the reality. Do we really need to make such a big deal out of using a GUI? I personally really like emacs’ shortcuts and I’m a massive fan of using a terminal, but I still don’t use it simply because IDEs such as Webstorm, Visual Studio or Visual Studio Code are much better. However, it doesn’t matter.
You can use any text editor, any operating system and almost any browser (except for IE) and still be a great developer. Because it’s not about what tools you use, but it’s about how you use them and what you build with them.