My Emacs is like a kitchen that I’ve perfected over the years to prepare just about every kind of meal.
The meals are configurations for example of the Go language, SML, OCaml, APL, IRC, and writing LaTeX, Pandoc, or Org-Mode. Some of the meals have been around and will stay around for a long time. Some of the meals are short lived, and welcome to come back. Either way I’m glad to be able to cook in such a great kitchen.
There are always improvements to the kitchen. They are welcome because it can always get better. At this point there aren’t going to be any major changes to the kitchen itself unless I have some major changes in the way that I think. It works how I like to work. Everything is where I like it to be. It is easy for me to add new things and remove them in a pleasant manner. Most importantly it is a reflection of my cognitive landscape, so I am happy there.
Once you are at home in Emacs you will welcome new meals and say farewell to some, but you will always have a kitchen that you love. That is why the “Perfect Emacs Configuration” is never to be found and never will be: we are all unique and see the world with with a curiosity that is all our own.
Fortunately we have a lot of similarities so good ideas spread fast and they bring great ease. Of even greater fortune we have a lot of differences so we can grow and learn from perspectives and preferences so totally different from our own. It is delightful and refreshing to see a cognitive landscape different from our own. That is where the fun is: going to new lands and being welcomed to learn about how people see the world. Our Emacs configurations are a sweet reminder of the joy and creativity that comes with computing. Emacs is the selfless and benevolent home where that kitchen lives.
Long live Emacs—our eternal home of the joy and creativity of computing, shared learning, and flat out fun.