Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Spacemacs

Community-driven Emacs distribution that meshes Emacs and Vim features.

Spacemacs

Spacemacs Reviews and Details

This page is designed to help you find out whether Spacemacs is good and if it is the right choice for you.

Screenshots and images

  • Spacemacs Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-04-26

Features & Specs

  1. Customizability

    Spacemacs is highly customizable, leveraging the power of Emacs and Vim. Users can tailor their development environment to exactly fit their workflow.

  2. Community-driven

    Spacemacs benefits from a strong, active community. Users have access to a wealth of shared configurations, extensions, and advice.

  3. Hybrid Model

    Combines the best features of Emacs and Vim, allowing users to switch easily between editing styles and take advantage of both systems’ strengths.

  4. Ease of Setup

    Spacemacs provides an easy-to-use distribution of Emacs, simplifying the initial setup process and making it more accessible for newcomers.

  5. Rich Documentation

    Spacemacs comes with extensive documentation, both official and user-generated, which makes it easier to learn and troubleshoot issues.

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Videos

Spacemacs For Noobs

Can VSCode be a reasonable Spacemacs alternative? (VSpaceCode)

EmacsCast 4 - Spacemacs vs Doom vs Emacs

Social recommendations and mentions

We have tracked the following product recommendations or mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you see what people think about Spacemacs and what they use it for.
  • Our teacher only allows us to use VIM
    Show them spacemacs.org, github.com/doomemacs/doomemacs or at least spacevim.org. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Creating Haskell notebooks with org-mode
    Your Emacs will need some packages: org, org-babel and haskell-mode. If you use spacemacs it is enough to add these layers in your .spacemacs:. - Source: dev.to / almost 4 years ago
  • Vim Users! Share your Clever Configs and Plugin Setups (or learn something new)🔥
    Try https://spacemacs.org magit + org-mode are the big selling points. Magit especially for programming. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Emacs' org-mode gets citation support
    Aside from editing on mobile devices, I think Emacs isn't as hard to pick up as it once was. It's certainly not easy but tools like Spacemacs or Doom make it much simpler to get started and really limit the need to create and edit a complicated little library of your Elisp code. http://spacemacs.org https://github.com/hlissner/doom-emacs. - Source: Hacker News / almost 4 years ago
  • A guide to create tmux like Custom Layouts in Spacemacs
    Coming from a vim world with tmux, I had really missed the multiple split window layout in Spacemacs. But after knowing how to define custom layouts this seemed to be an easy exercise for me. - Source: dev.to / about 4 years ago
  • Playing Music in Spacemacs with EMMS
    Spacemacs is a community-driven Emacs distribution. It is a new way to experience Emacs with a sophisticated and polished set-up focused on ergonomics, mnemonics and consistency. - Source: dev.to / about 4 years ago

Summary of the public mentions of Spacemacs

Overview of Public Opinion on Spacemacs

Spacemacs, a community-driven Emacs distribution, often garners attention in discussions about text editors and integrated development environments (IDEs). Serving primarily software developers, academics, and tech enthusiasts, Spacemacs is noted for its unique combination of the robust features of Emacs and the efficient key bindings of Vim.

Positives

One of the most significant selling points of Spacemacs is its use of the space bar as a default leader key, which promotes ergonomic efficiency. This simple yet effective approach distinguishes it from other powerful text editors like GNU Emacs and Vim. Additionally, Spacemacs comes with syntax highlighting enabled by default for major programming languages, contributing to its appeal among developers focused on programming versatility and aesthetic code presentation.

Spacemacs also stands out for its exceptional integration of tools like Magit and org-mode. These features are particularly favored by developers for tasks like version control and project management. The presence of these tools as out-of-the-box solutions makes Spacemacs not only a strong competitor for traditional editors like Vim and Emacs but also enticing for users looking to enhance their productivity without significant configuration.

Challenges and Criticism

Despite these strengths, Spacemacs has been criticized for several issues that might be a turn-off for some users. The editor can be glitchy, suffering from keybinding conflicts and inadequate LaTex support. These glitches—though not universal—might pose challenges to newcomers and those who prefer stable and predictable environments. Further, critics point to its substandard tab/workspace plugins, which detract from the sophisticated experience it promises.

Nevertheless, for users who enjoy customizing their development environment—often referred to as "yak-shaving"—these challenges may represent opportunities for creative problem-solving and further customization.

Adoption and Community Perception

Spacemacs is recognized as a stepping stone for those transitioning from Vim or beginning with Emacs. It simplifies the learning curve typically associated with Emacs, providing a more intuitive start while retaining extensive customization possibilities. This is seen as a major incentive for users who wish to explore Emacs but are daunted by its traditional complexity.

The community-driven nature of Spacemacs facilitates continuous development and improvement, which helps mitigate some of the criticisms it faces. The presence of various packages that can be readily added to Spacemacs, such as those for Haskell development, indicates its versatility and adaptability to different programming needs.

Conclusion

In summary, Spacemacs is generally well-regarded in the software development community for its innovative design and powerful features. While not without its drawbacks, it represents a highly flexible tool with an active community that continuously works towards enhancing its functionality. Its blend of Emacs’ extensibility with Vim’s efficiency positions it as a noteworthy option in the realm of text editors and IDE tools, appealing particularly to those who are ready to embrace its complexity for a highly customizable experience.

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Is Spacemacs good? This is an informative page that will help you find out. Moreover, you can review and discuss Spacemacs here. The primary details have not been verified within the last quarter, and they might be outdated. If you think we are missing something, please use the means on this page to comment or suggest changes. All reviews and comments are highly encouranged and appreciated as they help everyone in the community to make an informed choice. Please always be kind and objective when evaluating a product and sharing your opinion.