Emacs

Overview

GNU Emacs is a free, open-source text editor. It is powerful, highly customizable, and widely used for programming, writing, task management, and academic research. Created in 1984 by Richard Stallman (founder of the free software movement), it is part of the GNU project and hosted on gnu.org/software/emacs and GitHub. It supports platforms such as Linux, Windows, macOS, and FreeBSD and is licensed under the GPL v3. Emacs uses Emacs Lisp as its extension language, providing code editing, debugging, version control, an email client, Markdown preview, and more, with over 4000 plugins. Emphasizing extensibility and versatility, it is often called the "Swiss Army knife for programmers" and is suitable for various scenarios, from beginners to professional developers.

History and Development

• Origins:
  • 1976: Richard Stallman created the original Emacs, based on the TECO macro language.
  • 1984: The GNU Emacs project was launched, rewritten in C and Emacs Lisp, with version 1.0 released.
  • March 20, 1985: GNU Emacs 13.0 was released, the first widely used version.
• Development:
  • 1991: Emacs 19 introduced X Window support.
  • 2001: Emacs 21 was released, supporting GUI, multiple languages, and color themes.
  • 2013: Emacs 24 introduced the package manager (package.el) and a theme system.
  • 2020: Emacs 27 supported JSON parsing and the HarfBuzz font.
  • 2023: Emacs 29 introduced LSP and Tree-sitter.
  • October 15, 2025: Emacs 31.0.2 was released, supporting Java 24, C++23, Wayland native rendering, and AI plugins (such as Copilot.el).
• Community and Support:
  • Maintained by the GNU project and the Emacs community, hosted on gnu.org and MELPA.
  • Multilingual support (English/Chinese), documentation includes an Info manual, Wiki, and Reddit (r/emacs).
  • Reddit users say "Emacs is the ultimate editor for programmers."
• Open Source License:
  • GPL v3.

Key Features

Emacs is built around the extensibility, versatility, and community ecosystem of Emacs Lisp. Here are the key features:

1. Multi-language Development Support
   • Supports Java, C/C++, Python, JavaScript, etc., providing code completion and navigation via LSP (lsp-mode).
2. Org-mode Productivity Tools
   • Org-mode supports task management, notes, calendars, and Markdown export.
3. Plugin Ecosystem
   • Over 4000 plugins (MELPA), including Magit (Git management), Copilot.el (AI completion), and Projectile (project navigation).
4. Debugging and Tools
   • Built-in GDB debugger, DAP (Debug Adapter Protocol), and Tree-sitter syntax highlighting.
5. Cross-Platform Compatibility
   • Supports Linux/Windows/macOS, with Wayland native rendering.
6. Hardware Compatibility
   • Minimum: 1 GHz CPU, 256 MB RAM, terminal or GUI.
7. Security and Privacy
   • Open source GPL: transparent source code.
8. Development Support
   • Emacs Lisp: Custom plugins and automation.

Advantages and Limitations

Advantages

• Highly customizable: Emacs Lisp's JSON configuration is superior to VS Code.
• Open source and free: GPL v3, cross-platform.
• Org-mode: Unbeatable task management.
• Active community: 4000+ plugins, daily updates from MELPA.

Limitations

• Learning curve: Complex keyboard shortcuts (e.g., C-x C-s), less intuitive than VS Code.
• Resource consumption: 500 MB RAM (reconfigured), better than IntelliJ but not as good as Vim.
• Comparison tools:
  • VS Code: Lightweight, UI-friendly.
  • Vim: Extremely lightweight.
  • IntelliJ IDEA: Professional Java implementation.

Summary

GNU Emacs is a free and open-source text editor. Version 31.0.2 (released October 15, 2025) supports LSP, Wayland, and AI auto-completion, and boasts a plugin ecosystem of over 4000. Compared to VS Code (lightweight), Vim (minimalist), and IntelliJ (for Java professionals), Emacs excels in customizability and Org-mode, but its learning curve is steep.