*BSD News Article 90931


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From: Matt Kirsch <matt2@ctg.com>
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.linux.setup,comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc,comp.unix.bsd.misc,comp.os.ms-windows.nt.advocacy,comp.os.os2.advocacy
Subject: Re: Betting on Unix
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 1997 14:18:07 -0500
Organization: None
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Message-ID: <3325AFEF.5565A7FD@ctg.com>
References: <5d3sr2$44n@nntp1.best.com> <5dbapu$t1f$1@nntp2.ba.best.com> <x7n2ti4s7i.fsf@dumbcat.codewright.com> <5dc7qq$hed@phoenix.sysbe.sysgo.de> <5ddcvf$4dh@sun20.ccd.bnl.gov> <330a1d23.2419719@172.15.0.208> <5ef5c8$rgs@arktur.rz.uni-ulm.de> <330B2333.38B6@to.me. <857190027.3067.2@msn-4-3.binc.net> <5fsk31$oa7@bignews.shef.ac.uk> <5g19sp$26iq$1@news-s01.ny.us.ibm.net>
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> Yes. You are missing the fact that you are living in the past.

You don't throw something away just because it's old.
vi is still good at what it was designed to do: edit text.

> vi is about as user friendly as a kick in the shorts. The whole notion
> of editing 'modes' is rediculous and about as modern as a crank starter.

The same can be said of emacs. Who has time to remember all of those 
CONTROL key sequences? I learned vi, it does what I want it to do, so
I will contiune to use it until I find something better.

I have the latest version of elvis on my system, along with emacs.
Emacs is 1.8MB in size, elvis is 300K (with the X options compiled in).

If all I need is a text editor, emacs just seems a bit bloated.
 
> Oh, now I get it! vi is as modern as a crank starter, Earl is a crank.
> It all makes sense now!

The vi family doesn't need modernization. ASCII text has been ASCII text
forever; it hasn't changed a bit. Why would the editor need to evolve?

Anyway, vi has had improvements made to it over the years. The clone I'm
using, elvis, has an optional graphical mode with buttons and
scrollbars.
It can understand HTML. It automatically colors, boldfaces, and
italicizes
source code. It has a built-in hex editor. It has an online help
facility,
and the ability to edit multiple buffers. All of this capability comes
along
with the familiar vi interface we have come to know and love.

-- 
Mathew E. Kirsch, CLSE (Certifiable Linux Systems Engineer)
*Opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of my employer.

"If you don't have time to read the FAQ, I don't have time to read it to
you."