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SXEmacs.Org


What is SXEmacs

Hmm, that's actually not an easy question to answer. At least, not easy to answer completely. At the most basic of levels, SXEmacs is a text editor. If you've ever used GNU/Emacs or XEmacs you've probably seen the description that goes something like...

...is a highly customisable and extensible, self-documenting, real-time display editor and IDE.

Ditto for SXEmacs. Yep, SXEmacs is JAFE (Just Another Fine Editor). Though, if that's all you thought it was, you'd be missing out. There is very little that SXEmacs can't do, or at least, be made to do. You can tailor it to your wildest dreams and imagination. This is where the "customisable and extensible" part of the description comes in.

It's more than just an editor

If you looked at any of the screenshots you would have seen that even though SXEmacs is a text editor, it can be oh so much more.

That list is by no mean exhaustive. Oh, and I nearly forgot... SXEmacs edits text too. And it even helps you with that. In many, many ways. With things like syntax highlighting, context sensitive completion, keyboard macros, powerful search and replace, spell checking (on the fly if you wish), programming language aware indentation. The list just goes on and on. It would be a fair bet to say that whatever "feature" you like in other editors, there's a good chance SXEmacs has it too.

What SXEmacs has that XEmacs doesn't (yet)

Following is hopefully an up to date (at time of writing) list of the features that are in SXEmacs but are currently not (yet) in XEmacs 21.4. I say XEmacs 21.4 because SXEmacs was forked from the XEmacs 21.4 code base and not the 21.5 code base. With that said, however, most (all?) of what follows is unique to SXEmacs and isn't in XEmacs 21.5 either.

Why I Use SXEmacs

Here are a few random reasons why some folks use SXEmacs. If you want to add to this list, just drop us a line on the mailing list.
  - I love the comfort of having the full power of my editor behind me
    while I'm IRC'ing, ICQ'ing, mail, and news reading.

  - Keyboard macros would have to be right up there in the list.
    Being able to define a quick keyboard macro to complete repetative
    tasks is sweet.

  - Bookmarks.  I often find myself reading through a whole bunch of
    documents at the same time (HOWTOs, READMEs etc), I can save where
    I am in each doc and easily come back to the same spot in the
    future. 

  - I just love the whole "swiss-army-knife-ed-ness" of it all.  I
    mean, c'mon, if it can't be done in SXEmacs, is it worth doing?

  - SXEmacs' extensibility.  Being able to make SXEmacs do things it
    can't do out of the box is its greatest benefit.
    

Where We Might Be Going

I really don't like making promises, so you'll just have to wait and see. :-) OK, OK, I'll throw you a bone. Here are a couple of hints…