Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!rutgers!ucsd!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!ficc!peter From: peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva) Newsgroups: comp.editors Subject: Re: vi (vs VMS/EDT) Keywords: DEC bashing Message-ID: <6995@ficc.uu.net> Date: 16 Nov 89 14:16:35 GMT References: <1989Nov14.223604.17418@cs.eur.nl> <1989Nov15.202718.12762@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> Reply-To: peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva) Organization: Xenix Support, FICC Lines: 28 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. [flames about forgetting you're in command/insert mode] Try hitting ESC, or :set showmode. > EDT is a reasonable editor. EDT is a peice of junk, totally worthless on anything but a DEC terminal or a very good clone (It took me forever to track down all the undocumented features EDT under VMS and RSX used when I was writing a terminal emulator: both do really weird stuff, and they do *different* weird stuff). Even on a real VT100, EDT has a fatal flaw: You can't edit another file without quitting the file you're working on and going back to DCL or MCR. Discovering this was one of those "you've GOT to be kidding" experiences. You know, like the first time you found out about segments on the 8086. > Emacs is a reasonable editor. Yes. Emacs is a decent editor. Or rather, a decent family of almost compatible editors. -- `-_-' Peter da Silva . 'U` -------------- +1 713 274 5180. "*Real* wizards don't whine about how they paid their dues" -- Quentin Johnson quent@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu