Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!cernvax!chx400!chx400!bernina!neptune!inf.ethz.ch!wyle From: wyle@inf.ethz.ch (Mitchell Wyle) Newsgroups: comp.editors Subject: Re: vi--backspace past beg-of-line Summary: half-hearted defense of line-orientation Keywords: vi, backspace, newlines Message-ID: <24673@neptune.inf.ethz.ch> Date: 13 Feb 91 10:59:22 GMT References: <1012@TALOS.UUCP> <1991Feb11.211456.16556@ddsw1.MCS.COM> <21933@.la.locus.com> Sender: news@neptune.inf.ethz.ch Reply-To: wyle@inf.ethz.ch (Mitchell Wyle) Organization: Departement Informatik, ETH, Zurich Lines: 43 In <21933@.la.locus.com> stevea@locus.com (Steve Anderson) laments: >backspace actually work past the beginning of the line. In hopes of >being clear as an unmuddied lake, here's a gratuitous illustration. > >1--press i and type 1.3 lines of text >This is a bunch of text that I've been typing just as an example and it >seems to go on and on >=cursor here> ^ > >2--backspace to "example"... > >This is a bunch of text that I've been typing just as an example >=cursor here> ^ > >3--type what I should have typed > >This is a bunch of text that I've been typing just as an example. Having >the sentence end there is much better. La la la >=cursor here> ^ 1. Vi in wrap mode auto-wraps for you, in partial violation of the line- orientation. 2. You can't backspace past begining-of-line. You can: ddbbD that is, leave insert mode delete the current line dd go back some words bb Delete to end of line D I admit the line-orientation metaphor is sometimes weak, but other times it is better to put your mind into "edit" mode and use 5 keystrokes, instead of absent-mindedly pushing the delete button a few dozen times. Elvis will backspace past beginning of line. Sometimes I think it's neat; other times I get angry at it for not being vi. To you use vi effectively, you have to use the modes.