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Discussion on: Why I use Doom Emacs

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gcoleman2001 profile image
gcoleman2001 •

Hi, just wondering with your 10 years of experience what your take on the following would be?
Currently using Intellij for Java dev & vs code for reactjs and pycharm for python, I would like to switch to emacs for an all in one approach but not sure if even with taking the time to learn is it worth giving up the bells and whistles of an ide for emacs. I know I can group all into vs code but don't like vscode for Java dev
Thanks

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daviskirk profile image
Davis Kirkendall •

To be honest I don't think I can answer this for you but here are a few thoughts:

  • I'm not a Java dev but from talking to devs I do get the impression that heavy IDE features are more important in Java than some other languages, so maybe that makes people lean toward IntelliJ and away from VS Code, Emacs, Vim or whatever for java.
  • It will take a long time to get more gains from a personal emacs setup than you will have from an IDE like Intellij out of the box. This means that you might be LESS efficient for a while. The true power of Emacs still lies in it's endless customizability (even if it might sense to put limits on this in certain cases like basic keybindings, hence this article). So Emacs won't truly shine until you want to or have the need to make something fit exactly into your workflow.
  • If you end up not choosing emacs I also know enough people who use vscode for everything or JetBrains for everything (IntellliJ java/PyCharm python/WebStorm for react). Different tools for different minds I guess.
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gcoleman2001 profile image
gcoleman2001 •

Thanks for taking time to reply. I think I'll keep emacs as a side hobby and stick with Intellij.