Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!usc!ucsd!ogccse!orstcs!nucthy!ghe
From: ghe@nucthy.physics.orst.edu (Guangliang He)
Newsgroups: comp.editors
Subject: Re: vi (vs VMS/EDT)
Keywords: DEC bashing
Message-ID: <13836@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU>
Date: 15 Nov 89 21:22:20 GMT
References: <1989Nov14.223604.17418@cs.eur.nl> <1989Nov15.202718.12762@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Sender: usenet@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU
Reply-To: ghe@nucthy.PHYSICS.ORST.EDU (Guangliang He)
Organization: Dept. of Physics, Oregon State University
Lines: 22

In article <1989Nov15.202718.12762@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> mcdonald@aries.scs.uiuc.edu (Doug McDonald) writes:
>
> The problem with using vi is not LEARNING it, it is using it. LEarning
> is easy. Using is impossible: its command structure is broken,
> hopeless beyond any hope of repair. Consider this: start typing
> in something (after hitting "i" of course) then step mout for a Coke. 
> Come back: your cursor is in the middle of the page. Are you in 
> insert mode or not? Start typing - DAMMIT - oops, I forgot that
> I really DID hit escape before going for that Coke. Utter mess
> ensues.

Put 'set showmode' in my .exrc, the vi can show me what mode I am in. I am
in INSERT MODE now. :-) At least this works on our SYS V machine. Maybe you
have a broken 'vi'. 

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