Does anyone else use #emacs mainly in the terminal, even when you don't have to? I just find it cleaner and simpler, and I don't mind using external apps for pdfs and browsing, etc. What am I missing out on?

If it's working for you, there's no need to change. You're using #Emacs whether it's in the text terminal or in a GUI.

With that said: You're not getting GUI font handling, Emacs access to the range of fonts and sizes, window management and keyboard commands, built-in document and image rendering, pixel-scale sizing of things, etc.

That's what you're missing; whether you want them is up to you. I would advise spending some time making a good config that shows off the GUI, try it on.

@ntnsndr

@ntnsndr @bignose I'm curious what specifically bothers you about the GUI... I'd bet you could get a minimal-looking GUI #Emacs pretty easily. Have you tried any themes besides the default? Prot's modus themes are a nice place to start, they're built-in.

It's really nice to have more fonts and font sizes, and to be able to display images alongside text. I include a lot of images in my personal org notes, I think I'd miss that if I was forced to switch to terminal Emacs.

@pjaml @bignose Why terminal:

- I am in the terminal a lot of the time already (tho I could just do my terminaling within emacs)
- Integration with system fonts/colors
- I don't feel the need to use images in emacs but I guess I could
- Forced simplicity

@ntnsndr I agree with everyone who said it may not be worth switching if terminal Emacs is working for you, sounds like you may not need much of what the GUI version offers. Still, IMO it's worth experimenting. I imagine there might be occasional conflicts with keybindings between your terminal and Emacs. It's also nice knowing that everything can be configured in your init.el. E.g. if you want to turn off scroll bars, you do that in init.el rather than having to also manage terminal settings.

@pjaml Yes! I'm trying it—my new years project is working through Mastering Emacs