Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!cunews!bcars8!bnrgate!bwdls58!mlord
From: mlord@bwdls58.bnr.ca (Mark Lord)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: vi-like editor for PC
Message-ID: <3734@bwdls58.UUCP>
Date: 6 Jul 90 15:25:01 GMT
References: <4226@peora.ccur.com> <46500136@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu> <55644@microsoft.UUCP> <1909@argus.UUCP>
Sender: mlord@bwdls58.UUCP
Reply-To: mlord@bwdls58.bnr.ca (Mark Lord)
Organization: Bell-Northern Research, Ottawa, Canada
Lines: 30

>I'd say the most useful standalone capability of XEDIT is the 'all'
>command (yeah I know 'all' is a macro, but its easier to explain 'all'

Wow!  The same thing I tell everyone!  'all' has to be experienced to be
appreciated fully.  It is a very foreign concept to most other editor users.
In particular, the mechanism of XEDIT which is used to implement 'all' is
very powerful, and lends itself to similar macros based on the same concept.
...
>But, the single must useful integrated capability of XEDIT is the ability
>shared by all (what I consider real) editors, a real macro language with
>the capability of putting in 'if/then/else' statements, executing editor
>commands, etc.

Assuming one has REXX to go with it (you surely don't mean EXEC/EXEC2).
...
>As far as clumsier goes, I find vi far more clumsier to use than XEDIT,
>but that is a personal preference.  Also note that on a daily basis I
>use vi, XEDIT, and Wordstar with about equal amounts.

Before flaming XEDIT too badly, one MUST try the PC implementation known
as KEDIT from Mansfield Software.  Has the same look and feel as the mainframe
XEDIT does, but without the clumsyness about having to hit ENTER or a PFKEY
for something to happen.  Better than the original!  And it has the powerful
'all' thingie, along with either full REXX or a built-in subset of it, 
depending on what one is willing to pay.  Rumor has it that similar tools will
soon be available on UNIX systems.. I've heard of a beta copy somewhere.

 ___Mark S. Lord______________________________________________
| ..uunet!bnrgate!bmerh614!mlord | These are my opinions only.|
|________________________________|____________________________|