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Emacs is a text editor with some advantages over other text editors. Advantages are as follows.
You can use Emacs in a text-only interface or in a graphical interface.
A graphical editor typically allows you to have several files open at once, in different ags. Emacs allows you to do a similar thing in a text-only interface.
You can have a terminal window open within Emacs. You don't need to exit Emacs to run commands, and all editing actions are available in the terminal.
Emacs automatically writes checkpoint files. Every so often, it backs up your work in case something goes wrong, such as losing a connection. The checkpoint file for foo.cpp is called #foo.cpp#.
Emacs also writes backup files. The backup file for foo.cpp is called foo.cpp~.
Emacs has modes for several programming languages. In C/C++ mode, it automatically indents programs for you, and easily reindents a block of code whose indentation needs to change. It also shows you, when you type a right brace, where the matching left brace is. This makes finding problems with braces very easy.
Emacs has a wide variety of keyboard commands. Proficient users can edit faster using keystrokes than using the mouse.
Emacs has multiple clipboards. When you copy something to the clipboard, you do not lose the text that was formerly on the clipboard. Instead, that text is pushed onto the "kill ring".
Emacs is flexible and extensible. You can bind any command to any key, customizing the editor to your own preferences. If you become familiar with the Lisp programming language, you can write your own functions, and have them performed at your command.
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