You have most likely heard of the Emacs textual content editor, however do you know it is usually repurposed to switch full-blown desktop functions? It is not frequent information, however Emacs has a really mature ecosystem and is multi-functional past its unique goal. From RSS readers to electronic mail purchasers, I’ve 4 Emacs use circumstances I choose over conventional software program.
I’ve heard the memes: Emacs is an working system with a mediocre textual content editor. It is a tongue-in-cheek phrase poking enjoyable at its complexity, and it is true. To most, Emacs is out of attain, however to the curious energy consumer, it is one other undiscovered frontier. These lengthy transformed see Emacs not simply as a instrument they use however as a core part of their workflow. It helps convey concepts to life and sort out issues from recent views. From consuming content material to modeling plans, organizing info, and communication, Emacs does all of it and extra.
For these unaware, RSS is a mechanism by which web sites ship their content material with out the formatting. Very like your internet browser downloads and renders HTML with fancy decorations, an RSS consumer receives a structured document, processes it, after which delivers readable textual content as a feed. It offers purchasers the liberty to curate and show content material as they want. Your information involves you, not the opposite approach round.
I’ve tried just a few RSS purchasers over time, and many do not match my keyboard-driven workflow. With Elfeed, I get precisely what I want: an easy, plain-text consumer with superior keymaps. Whereas it makes use of a easy strategy, it has one highly effective characteristic that processes article titles to assign tags, permitting me to modify between feed views with out ever touching the mouse.
It is not fancy, however how sophisticated does a feed reader should be? I wish to learn titles and open content material in my browser with out the extreme cardio exercise I get from a conventional UI, and Elfeed presents that.
Superior note-taking workflow with Org-roam
Org-roam is by far my most used bundle. It is a note-taking system the place customers curate an in depth graph of interlinked notes, with highly effective search capabilities and infinite extensibility. It is constructed upon the well-known Org mode, one of many biggest innovations of all time.
The buffer on the fitting represents excerpts from notes that hyperlink again to the current observe (which is about Emacs; left buffer).
Org mode’s main worth proposition is the fast adjustment of doc layouts, making planning and iteration on concepts extremely simple. With a bit expertise and a scientific note-taking workflow, Org-roam turns into really game-changing. Functions like Obsidian have nice options, however they’re no substitute for Org mode in my view.
For a newbie, the simplest method to arrange Org-roam is thru Doom Emacs (a framework of types). All that is required is to activate a flag and refresh the editor.
To-dos and planning with Org Agenda
The core precept behind Org mode is to prepare your life. The thought is to plan on “paper” and use Org mode’s frictionless interface to rearrange, rearrange, iterate, and modify your concepts with ease.
Ultimately, storing your ideas into long-forgotten information turns into fruitless with no extremely seen name to motion, and that is what Org Agenda does. Whereas notes present the context, permitting you to start the place you left off, to-dos are the ordered items of labor you’ll be able to sequence, rearrange, modify, and iterate upon. They glue all of the related notes and assets collectively in a small, extremely seen, actionable bundle.
It seems like a long-winded method to describe a to-do system, however when it is deeply built-in with an in depth information base, information feed, electronic mail (coated subsequent), and even chat methods, it turns into extraordinarily highly effective, permitting you to seize, file, and act upon concepts like no different system.
Your concepts could be as small as remembering to buy an merchandise or as large as planning a venture. Whereas the advantages are life-changing (no exaggeration), individuals usually move due to its complexity.
When you’ve got expertise coding or want to begin, I strongly urge you to provide Org Agenda, Org mode, and Org-roam a shot.
Keyboard-driven electronic mail workflow with mu4e
Mu4e is a bundle I have been experimenting with for the previous few months. It takes appreciable persistence to arrange, however the rewards are price it. Whereas I am nonetheless transitioning into an Emacs-driven electronic mail workflow, my thoughts is buzzing with concepts.
Provided that Emacs has a full-fledged ecosystem, deep integration with different packages is feasible—together with note-taking. As an illustration, you’ll be able to document hyperlinks in an Org mode observe, the place every prompts a particular filtered view of your mailbox. Then you’ll be able to construct up an index of various views primarily based on properties just like the sender, mailbox, content material, and so on. A mailbox with out group is chaos, and these views add one other dimension, making it fast to modify between contexts.
Moreover these views, it is attainable to make notes of particular emails or threads, hyperlink all of them collectively in a project-focused observe, after which summarize or touch upon them. You possibly can even create to-do duties for particular person conversations on the fly. This manner, Emacs turns into a strong correspondence annotator, guaranteeing that you just always remember context, what you have been considering, or what must be accomplished.
When individuals say Emacs is advanced, they are not mistaken. It is for energy customers and people wishing to push the envelope. It actually is not for everybody, which is a disgrace as a result of a substantial amount of energy stays locked away behind its thriller.
The appliance-like packages that exist have been constructed by people who thrive in a keyboard-driven setting. If that sounds such as you, and also you like to make issues occur for your self, Emacs has many use circumstances, and increasing it can go so far as your creativeness can take you.
If you happen to’re keen on getting began, it’s best to try my beginner’s guide to Doom Emacs.
7 ways I use NotebookLM to make my life easier
There’s extra to NotebookLM than simply gathering info.
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