Re: Upcoming loss of usability of Emacs source files and Emacs.

[Paul Eggert]

Richard Stallman wrote:
> When you introduce Emacs to new users, do you teach them to edit Emacs
> Lisp code?

Not in the first day, but we have people use Emacs over a period of ten weeks, 
as part of a software construction course.  A primary benefit of Emacs over 
editors like vim (which is what we've also used in the past) is its 
programmability.  I want students to be able to read and understand the source 
code of the tools they're using.

> I'm talking about the source code issue, but the reasons you give
> seem to apply to the UI issue.

Although they apply primarily to the UI, they also apply to source code. 
Previously a docstring couldn't unambiguously quote Lisp code containing ' or `. 
 Now it can.  Previously one could cut from a *Help* buffer and paste into a 
docstring; this remains true only because curved quotes now work in a docstring 
and so can be safely copied from a *Help* buffer to a docstring.

Also, nonexperts read Lisp code at times, and we're better off simplifying the 
process of reading the code and becoming expert.