this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2026

44 points (92.3% liked)

Emacs

612 readers

3 users here now

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

Ategon@programming.dev

therealemilioestevez@programming.dev

Who is the youngest emacs user? (lemmy.wtf)

submitted 3 months ago by Digit@lemmy.wtf to c/emacs@programming.dev

15 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The idea for this post started today when I saw in #emacs-til on libera.chat:

[2026-01-17 22:30:19] TIL emacs is just not for old boomers lol

[2026-01-17 22:31:53] also for younger boomers

[2026-01-17 22:33:10] haha that's me!

[2026-01-17 22:33:17] lil baby baby boomer

[2026-01-17 23:25:18] the Youth of Today love Emacs

[2026-01-17 23:25:29] I asked one of them back in... uh...

[2026-01-17 23:25:31] 1991?

So I did a websearch for the youngest emacs user, and, the websearch results couldn't help but all be about how old emacs users are.

So I ask Lemmy...

Who is the youngest emacs user?

[And no, before anyone thinks otherwise, that image is not real. I just put that together for whimsical illustration, from an image search or 3, with a relevant comment, an image from an article about a 2 year old who self-taught the alphabet, and an image of an emacs welcome screen pasted together with the help of the GIMP.]

Who is the youngest emacs user?

Anyone younger than 40? In 20s? Teens?? Younger??!

top 15 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] nesc@lemmy.cafe 7 points 3 months ago

I've started in twenties, now in early thirties. I think it's just niche no matter old or young.

[–] wer2@lemmy.zip 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I use Emacs and I am not old. I am only.... Oh no... I am old...

[–] Digit@lemmy.wtf 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Does feel a little weird that I'm older than emacs.

[–] Digit@lemmy.wtf 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

and shall always be

[–] Digit@lemmy.wtf 1 points 3 months ago

forever

[–] xianjam@programming.dev 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I didn't use emacs much until around 2014, but I remember playing the Emacs Adventure around 2006 when I was 11.

[–] Digit@lemmy.wtf 4 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I didn’t use emacs much until around 2014,

Heh. I started using emacs in 2014, when an irc friend who had been using it for a decade were moving parts of their 10 year old config to a new one (iirc, they were moving to org-mode config), and then in 2024, I did the same, moved my 10 year old config over to an org-mode config.

Anyhoo,

but I remember playing the Emacs Adventure around 2006 when I was 11.

Can we count that as the youngest yet?

[–] chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago

I used emacs for school back in 2017… I was 33 at the time!

[–] Lembot_0006@programming.dev 3 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Emacs: ... old brain compatibility...
Vim: Brain? Beep-beep-beep...

[–] LadyMeow@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 3 months ago

I use vim, and in under 40

[–] drosophila@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

This guy doesn't look that old.

[–] Digit@lemmy.wtf 1 points 3 months ago

Yeah, I saw that (~ my guess, he's about 40), and it lands on a similar sentiment as this guy (~ my guess about 30).

[–] Digit@lemmy.wtf 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Some other young ones in irc:

[2026-01-18 17:01:33] I've used emacs since I was 13/14, 20 now

[2026-01-18 17:02:11] My girlfriend also used it for a solid while, she's 22

[2026-01-18 17:02:19] so I used Emacs when I was ~15-16 but really never learned it well, then didn't touch it for 7-8 years

11's still the number to beat, if we're counting "playing the Emacs Adventure" (which of course we should).

13/14's a solid young use.

I think we're starting to show emacs is not just for "old brain".

[–] Hisse@programming.dev 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Im not in my teens yet and I use emacs, but Im still older than 11

[–] Digit@lemmy.wtf 1 points 19 hours ago

Impressive. Same age as the youngest to ever do fusion. Jackson Oswalt.