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From: dattier@ddsw1.MCS.COM (David W. Tamkin)
Newsgroups: comp.editors
Subject: Re: Re: vi for power users
Message-ID: <1990Dec17.162337.28565@ddsw1.MCS.COM>
Date: 17 Dec 90 16:23:37 GMT
References: <4672@umbc3.UMBC.EDU> <7150:Dec1309:42:4690@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> <1990Dec14.174605.19649@ddsw1.MCS.COM> <7426:Dec1621:57:0990@kramden.acf.nyu.edu>
Reply-To: dattier@ddsw1.MCS.COM (David W. Tamkin)
Organization: Contributor Account at ddsw1, Wheeling, Illinois
Lines: 30

brnstnd@kramden.acf.nyu.edu (Dan Bernstein) wrote in
<7426:Dec1621:57:0990@kramden.acf.nyu.edu>:

| In article <1990Dec14.174605.19649@ddsw1.MCS.COM> dattier@ddsw1.MCS.COM (David W. Tamkin) writes:
| > |   map ^A :s/$/ $/^M$r 74^V|? ^Ms^M^[$xx0
| > For both forms, why are things done the long way?
| > Why ":s/$/  /^M" instead of "A  ^["?
| 
| Because that will fail miserably for lines between about 72 and 80
| characters. My point was to present a *reliable* line splitter.

My guess is that it will fail if the A-ppended spaces run afoul of the
wrapmargin setting.  If wrapmargin is off or not in that range, it would
work.  But you're right, Dan: the :s form is not vulnerable to that problem.

| > Why "xx" instead of "2x"?
| 
| On what objective basis is 2x better than xx? It is objectively worse on
| at least one basis: it doesn't work. Notice the $ in $xx.

Fair enough.  Indeed it doesn't: 2x won't function at the end of a line and
2X will delete the second-to-last and (originally) third-to-last characters
instead of the last two.  xx [I suppose that h2x and :s/..$//^M would work
but they are comparatively inelegant] is the right way to go.

Thanks for answering my questions.  I still don't understand your "I don't
use F."

David Tamkin  Box 7002  Des Plaines IL  60018-7002  708 518 6769  312 693 0591
MCI Mail: 426-1818  GEnie: D.W.TAMKIN  CIS: 73720,1570   dattier@ddsw1.mcs.com