IDEmacs
Shares rank 5 of 6 Emacs distributions by recommenders
Emacs setup that mimics Visual Studio Code and appeals to some Vim users, though critics say it mostly configures existing packages and skips Emacs basics.
Emacs setup that mimics Visual Studio Code and appeals to some Vim users, though critics say it mostly configures existing packages and skips Emacs basics.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 5
- approval share
- 55%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1.2 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Users express enthusiasm despite doubts
“I would never use this, but, somehow, I still love it.”
Comment from 16 Nov 2025 in “IDEmacs: A Visual Studio Code clone for Emacs” “I'm really happy to see this”
Comment from 16 Nov 2025 in “IDEmacs: A Visual Studio Code clone for Emacs”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Adds little beyond package configuration
“all of the "improvements" provided by the OP are a matter of loading and configuring packages”
Comment from 16 Nov 2025 in “IDEmacs: A Visual Studio Code clone for Emacs” “I don't see a point to this beyond hack value.”
Comment from 16 Nov 2025 in “IDEmacs: A Visual Studio Code clone for Emacs”
Other Emacs distributions people recommend
The four most recommended other Emacs distributions, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doom Emacs | 60 | 23 | 72% | 11 | 1 yr8 owners | Approved |
| Spacemacs | 24 | 17 | 59% | 10 | — | — |
| Emacs Bedrock | 21 | 1 | 95% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Emacs Solo | 7 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| IDEmacsThis page | 6 | 5 | 55% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
10 of the 11 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I did not get IDEmacs to work”
“Sounds you are skipping the basics of emacs training.”
“this seems kind of counterproductive.”
“although these days the wide choice of (neo)vim distributions utilizing LSP makes their offering less appealing”
“I'm really happy to see this”
“now with IDEmacs it is almost like what I want”
“all of the "improvements" provided by the OP are a matter of loading and configuring packages”
“Vim users would be annoyed by bizarre input lag of an electron application and perhaps by EULA”
“I don't see a point to this beyond hack value.”
“I would never use this, but, somehow, I still love it.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.