Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!spool.mu.edu!uunet!mcsun!ukc!tcdcs!dce.ie!em
From: em@dce.ie (Eamonn McManus)
Newsgroups: comp.editors
Subject: Re: Whence vi's hjkl?
Message-ID: <crick@dce.ie>
Date: 15 Apr 91 22:16:47 GMT
Article-I.D.: dce.crick
References: <1991Apr15.021544.19067@umbc3.umbc.edu>
Organization: Datacode Communications Ltd, Dublin, Ireland
Lines: 12

rouben@math16.math.umbc.edu () writes:
>I have always wondered about the choice of the {h,j,k,l} keys for 
>cursor movement in vi.  What was the rational behind it? 

^H and ^J are backspace and linefeed respectively in ASCII.
Lear-Siegler ADM3a terminals, which were popular when vi was first
written, extend this by interpreting ^K and ^L as cursor up and cursor
right, respectively, and have arrow markings on the hjkl keys that
correspond to vi's usage.

,
Eamonn