EMACS, the influential text editor developed at MIT’s AI Lab in 1976, revolutionized programming by allowing full-screen editing and extensive customization through macros, greatly improving usability over earlier line editors. Originating from the TECO editor and evolving through collaborative efforts at MIT, EMACS played a key role in fostering the software-sharing community that led to the free software movement and projects like GNU Emacs, which became integral to Unix, Linux, and early Mac OS X systems. Over its 50-year history, EMACS has remained a cornerstone of programming culture and software development despite changes in operating system support.
https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/10/20/1145399/emacs-turns-50/