Re:Emacs: The Editor for the Next Forty Years [video]
by gmueckl on Wednesday November 27, 2019 @04:43AM
(#21646517)
You're jumping to conclusions when you're associating a syntax tree based program representation with the forced use of a mouse or cumbersome navigation for editing. Nothing could be further from the truth. A completely usable and fast keyboard based editing method for such a program representation is entirely possible. The only downside is that it's harder to create a minimal working version of such a tool compared to a text editor.
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Re:Emacs: The Editor for the Next Forty Years [video]
by dmortin on Wednesday November 27, 2019 @05:02AM
(#21646615)
It may be possible, but I haven't seen such a tool. I have seen tools where you edited the syntax tree via a GUI and it was terrible for writing code. It may work better for tree modifications.
Text programs are pretty efficent when writing, editing code, because you can access a large number of elements quickly with the syntax.
E.g. writing let a = 3 can be much quicker than starting some command palette from the keyboard, choosing the "declare variable" action and then fill some dialog with the name and value of the variable.
I have doubts it can be made as efficient as typing, otherwise we would have seen such prototypes already. Have you?