#+TITLE: Quotes about Org-mode
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* Quotes about Org-mode from the mailing list and the web.
:PROPERTIES:
:ID: 70F3B7D4-3EE9-4518-900D-D1D20434F2C2
:END:
#+begin_quote
I honestly don't know how I ever lived without org-mode
@@Luke Gaudreau on [[http://twitter.com/infosoph][Twitter]].@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
I'm having the same feeling for org-mode that I did when I first
learned to really program and use emacs.
@@Jeffery Travis on [[http://twitter.com/travisjeffery][Twitter]].@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
Org-mode is one of those tools that change the way you work and think
forever.
@@Kaluza [[http://twitter.com/#!/kaluza/statuses/40810643061874688][Twitter]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
This handy system uses a fairly simple, single-file outlining
paradigm, upon which it overlays concepts like due dates and
priorities. I find its method both non-intrusive and easy to edit
by hand, which are absolute necessities for me.
@@John Wiegley in 2007 in his [[http://www.newartisans.com/blog_files/org.mode.day.planner.php][blog post]].@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
I've passed 2500 tasks logged with Org-mode!
This has been, by far, the most consistently I've used any
organizational tool on any system, ever. :)
@@John Wiegley in 2009 in an Email to the Org-mode author.@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
Someone mentioned that org-mode is a bit like perl. I agree. Way back,
someone described perl as "the Swiss army chainsaw of UNIX
programming". Over the last 12 months, I think org mode has evolved into
something akin to the "Swiss army JCB of organisational software" (to
stretch a metaphor until it screams for mercy!).
@@Pete Phillips in a [[http://article.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/754][post on emacs-orgmode]].@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
I think a main reason for [Org-mode's] utility is that basic use
requires little thought. When I'm using it for brainstorming, it's
almost like I'm not aware that I'm using any program --- I'm just
thinking.
@@Someone, in Charles Cave's [[http://orgmode.org/survey.html#sec-11][survey of Org
users]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
Org-mode bends the definition of outliners until you realise that
outlines are text and text is outline. [...] In org-mode, I'm... not
editing a document. I'm editing a piece of fiction, one piece at a
time. On a computer. In a way that makes sense.
@@Urpo Lankinen in a [[http://beastwithin.org/users/wwwwolf/fantasy/avarthrel/blog/2011/05/lets-just-use-emacs.html][blog post]].@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
I'm continually amazed by what org can do, and also by how intuitive
it is. It's not at all unusual that I find myself thinking that it
would be great if Org/Emacs did "x", trying what seems to me to be the
way that it would do "x" if it could, and discovering that it
functions just as I expect.
@@Someone, in Charles Cave's [[http://orgmode.org/survey.html#sec-11][survey of Org users]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
I love Org's timeclocking support, and I think you will too. Because
it's integrated with your task list, you don't have to switch to
separate application or reenter data.
@@Sacha Chua in a [[http://sachachua.com/wp/2007/12/30/clocking-time-with-emacs-org][blog post]].@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
I've been trying lots of different Web-based GTD task managers like
Remember the Milk, Toodledo, and GTDAgenda. I'm slowly coming to the
conclusion that there's nothing quite like Org for Emacs.
@@Sacha Chua in a [[http://sachachua.com/wp/2009/04/06/nothing-quite-like-org-for-emacs/][blog post]].@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
*BG:* We’ve got a lot more books coming out in the pipeline. [...]
The one which is my favourite is the Emacs Org-Mode Reference
Manual. [...] Honestly, it’s the greatest Emacs mode in 20
years. [...]\\
*CW:* /Would you say Org-Mode is one of the more exciting projects in
the Free Software world at the moment?/ \\
*BG:* Definitely. Maybe it’s even /the/ most exciting. Certainly it’s
transformed the way that I organise my work, and I think it has for a
lot of other people as well, so it’s software that can revolutionise
your life, not just perform a function.
@@Brian Gough of [[http://www.network-theory.co.uk/][Netork Theory Limited]] in an
interview by Chris Woolfrey, published in this [[http://blogs.fsfe.org/fellowship-interviews/?p%3D156][blog post]].@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
By far my favorite featureset in org-mode that muse lacks[fn:1] is the table
support, which piggybacks on calc to form more of a spreadsheet than
table support. Insanely cool.
@@Patrick Hawkins in a [[http://article.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.wiki.general/5760][post on emacs-wiki-discuss]].@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
Org is a new working experience for me and there is nothing comparable
to working with emacs AND Org-mode.
@@Sebastian Rose in his [[http://orgmode.org/worg/code/org-info-js/][org-info.js documentation]].@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
Org-mode definition:\\
Org-mode is an emacs mode for doing anything you dream of. If it
can't do it yet, post a message on the mailing list at night, go for
a sleep, and grab in the morning a fresh copy with your features
implemented.
@@Paul Rivier in an email message to the
Org-mode author.@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
From: Christian Moe\\
Re: Copy/Search Outline \\
I post a howto over my morning coffee at 8:38am. By 11:30am, Florian
has encapsulated it into a neat function with added goodies. Within 40
minutes, Carsten reports
> there is a key (C-c C-x v) and a menu entry,\\
> and documentation in manual and refcard for it.
Gotta love this community.
Yours, Christian
@@Christian Moe in a [[http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/44750/focus%3D44952][message]] to the Org-mode
mailing list.@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
[...] Org-mode [...] continues to amaze me with its power and
utility each and every day.
@@Bernt Hansen in a [[http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/9213][post on emacs-orgmode]].@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
PT> Damn! Org is again a step ahead of me. :D\\
Nick> Yup - get used to it ;-)
@@PT and Nick Dokos [[http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/17130/focus%3D17156][on emacs-orgmode]].@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
Org-mode has changed my life!
@@Jonathan E. Magen in a [[http://yonkeltron.com/blog/2008/11/10/org-mode-has-changed-my-life/][blog post]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
If humans could mate with software, I'd have org-mode's babies.
@@Chris League on [[http://twitter.com/chrisleague][Twitter]].@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
If I hated everything about Emacs, I would still use it for
org-mode. [...]
@@Avdi on [[http://twitter.com/avdi][Twitter]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
Org-mode is like half the awesomeness of emacs
@@Pavel on [[http://twitter.com/#!/Pavel_92/statuses/93245405906747393][Twitter]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
[...] It's fascinating. I'm still dubious as to the mental sanity of the
developer, but intriguing. [...]
@@Carlo Piana on [[http://twitter.com/#!/carlopiana/statuses/37160201652011009][Twitter]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
Org-mode is so awesome because everything is ultimately still plain
text files.
@@Philip J. Hollenback on [[http://twitter.com/philiph/statuses/21019501383][Twitter]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
The sheer elaborated insanity of the org-mode spreadsheet is a
distilled microcosm of all that is wonderful and brain-damaged about
emacs.
@@Zenoli on [[http://twitter.com/zenoli][Twitter]].@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
If Emacs is an operating system, Org-mode is the office/productivity
suite.
@@Eric Schulte in his [[http://orgmode.org/worg/images/screenshots/org-mode-publishing.jpg][screenshot]] on [[http://orgmode.org/worg/][Worg]]@@
#+end_quote
##+begin_quote
#I think I understand the difference between /org-mode/ and /planner.el/
#now. The former is more like an outline with dates and hypertext and
#lots of other features, while the latter is more like a schedule with
#outlines and hypertext and lots of other features.\\
#@@Samuel Wales in [[http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.planner.general/1279/focus%3D1283][a post on the planner mailing list]]@@
##+end_quote
#+begin_quote
Org-mode seemed like a way to tame the text file beast and ride
it off into the sunset.\\
@@Joey Doll in a [[http://www.guyslikedolls.com/set-phasers-to-org-mode][blog post]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
I have no idea how long [these files] are, probably 1000
lines each, but it doesn't matter. I can combine long winded notes
about my latest fabrication process with that thing that I have to do
on it next week, fold everything back up, and then keep easy tabs on
everything using the agenda view.
@@Joey Doll in a [[http://www.guyslikedolls.com/set-phasers-to-org-mode][blog post]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
If you're like me, over the years you'll have had your todo lists
scattered over multiple programs and places. First a simple text file
with homebrewn format, then various Windows programs, then various
Linux GUI programs, then back to Notepad and joe/gedit/kate, then
various apps on cellphones, then pencil & paper (due to cellphones
keep getting lost/stolen), then some cloud apps, then todo.txt, then
finally org-mode. And if you're anything like me or many others,
you'll find that org-mode is *it*.
@@Stephen Haryanto in a [[http://blogs.perl.org/users/steven_haryanto/2011/03/orgparser.html][blog post]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
Org-mode is a note taking tool unparalleled in it's simplicity and
ease of use.\\
@@Shrutarshi Basu in a [[http://bytebaker.com/2009/06/23/too-many-formats/][blog post]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
Org-mode is like doubling the RAM in your brain.\\
@@Casey Brant on [[http://twitter.com/BaseCase/statuses/10127206552][Twitter]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
Org-mode is like heroin. After the first hit. You're
addicted. Then, that's all you can think about.\\
@@Sergio T. Ruiz on [[http://twitter.com/sergio_101/statuses/21851630268][Twitter]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
Org-mode; gestalt of The One True Editor. Sentience is close at hand.\\
@@Richard Hoskins on [[http://twitter.com/RichardHoskins/statuses/25090314533][Twitter]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
Ceiling Cat, bestow your benevolent purring upon the authors of
Org-mode for #Emacs, as I'm not sure how I'd manage my life without
it.\\
@@Tom X. Tobin on [[http://twitter.com/tomxtobin/statuses/25381303142][Twitter]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
Emacs org-mode makes my geek heart flutter. [...]\\
@@Sacha Chua on [[http://twitter.com/sachac/statuses/25553224867][Twitter]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
It looks like it's from 1983, and it feels like taking a course in 7D
geometry but org-mode is truly (and I use this word rarely) awesome.\\
@@David Griffiths on [[http://twitter.com/dgriffiths/statuses/25812307488][Twitter]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
Once again found what looked like a door to a sub-basement actually
leads to a cathedral: emacs org mode\\
@@Neal Ford on [[https://twitter.com/#!/neal4d/statuses/145905694791565312][Twitter]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
Org-Mode is without a doubt the most useful piece of software that I
have ever installed.\\
@@Christopher Dolan on [[http://twitter.com/codingstream/statuses/26326566388][Twitter]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
While on-topic, just want to clear up misconceptions of org-mode. It
is different from all the software/website task managers mentioned
here. You can think of it as a meta-organization tool. A org software
factory if you will. You can customize it to exactly how you want your
thoughts, tasks, notes, etc organized. See
http://doc.norang.ca/org-mode.html for an idea of the sheer breadth of
options available to make it work exactly for you. This may sound
like a lot of work, but there are a lot of sensible defaults, which is
why most org-mode tutorials that scratch the surface make it seem like
a sibling to other task management software. [...]
If I may pilfer a quote, org-mode "outshines other [task management
solutions] in approximately the same way the noonday sun does the
stars." (Neal Stephenson on Emacs)\\
@@Someone in a discussion on [[http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id%3D1230716][Hacker News]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
I've spent a few days reading the manual, and looking at various
guides/tutorials on using it, especially with GTD approach -- and it does
everything I want, and so easily (once I've understood what to do!).\\
@@Michael Maloney by email@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
TODO lists in #orgmode is the best thing that happened to creative writing
since the metaphor.\\
@@Keith R. Potempa on [[https://twitter.com/#!/keithrpotempa/status/143407790130597888][twitter]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
Little by little org-mode will take over my life.
@@Mehul Sanghvi@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
The best thing that happened to Emacs since Emacs itself: Org Mode.
@@Tomas S. Grigera on [[https://twitter.com/#!/grigeratomas/status/151737481333710849][twitter]]@@
#+end_quote
#+begin_quote
Every time I go to use Org-mode, I find something new and helpful.
@@Katherine Cox on [[https://plus.google.com/b/102778904320752967064/100662126766165980060/posts/cE2J1SYUhPi][Google+]]@@
#+end_quote
* Some 24/7 lectures about Org-mode
The famous 24/7 lectures are part of the ceremony for handing out the
[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ig_Nobel_Prize][Ig Nobel Prizes]]. All speakers have to give a 24/7 lecture on their
subject. This means, they have to give a /complete technical
description/ of their work in /24 words/ (may be totally cryptic), and
then a /7 word/ explanation that is more or less /understandable for
the public/, and it may be either tongue in cheek or serious. In
summer 2008, a few people tried to [[http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/7599][formulate]] such lectures about
Org-mode:
** Technical description in 24 words
These was only a single entry in the "24" category:
- Org-mode does outlining, note-taking, hyperlinks, spreadsheets,
TODO lists, project planning, GTD, HTML and LaTeX authoring, all
with plain text files in Emacs (/Carsten Dominik/)
** Simple summary in 7 words
This is only a selection of the submitted entries. My loose
criterion was to use entries that are either a good description or
are funny - both valid approaches to the "7" part of 24/7 lectures.
I also left a few entries which are not exactly seven words,
because I liked them a lot.
- Organize and track everything in plain text (/Bernt Hansen/)
- Organize outlines, lists and table in text. (/Eddward DeVilla/)
- Emacs Org Mode: your life in text (/Matthew Parker/)
- Do work and play in plain text (/Kene Meniru/)
- Madness? This is org-mode! [[http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DUgrsNBu51nU][*Real Spartans use emacs!*]] (/Russell
Adams[fn:2]/)
- Plain text with frickin' lasers. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Evil][*pinky to lips*]] (/Russell
Adams[fn:2]/)
- It is the text that binds us. [[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php%3Fterm%3Dshikaka][*Shekaka!*]] (/Russell Adams[fn:2]/)
- Org-mode --- lifehacker's orgy :-P (/Dmitry Dzhus/)
- Back to the future for plain text (/Carsten Dominik/)
Footnotes:
[fn:1] Muse now understands the syntax of Org-mode tables, so you can use
Orgtbl-mode to get the same tables in Muse.
[fn:2] The linked text is from Adam, but the link itself has been added
by me.