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From: les@chinet.chi.il.us (Leslie Mikesell)
Newsgroups: comp.editors
Subject: Re: Whence vi's hjkl?
Message-ID: <1991Apr23.141747.5454@chinet.chi.il.us>
Date: 23 Apr 91 14:17:47 GMT
References: <1991Apr15.021544.19067@umbc3.umbc.edu> <110300005@hpcvlx.cv.hp.com>
Organization: Chinet - Chicago Public Access UNIX
Lines: 32

In article <110300005@hpcvlx.cv.hp.com> bill@hpcvlx.cv.hp.com (Bill Frolik) writes:

>> I find it somewhat annoying to have to move my fingers away from the
>> "home" position to move the cursor.  Does anyone consider the usual {h,j,k,l}
>> choice natural?  Does anyone have an explanation for the choice?

>I find it annoying, too -- it's one more reason why I prefer Emacs over vi.

Huh?  The emacs equivalents of ^B,^N,^P,^F and not only not on the
home row but they take both hands (or long pinkies).  I always use
the space bar to move forward which is the only direction you should
be going unless you have made a mistake anyway.

>I'm a fairly fast touch-typist, and you'd have a hard time convincing
>me that any touch-typist would initially consider it "natural". 

Why should cursor-movement be "natural" for a touch typist.  If you
are typing text in, you really don't do much cursor positioning other
than forward (space/tab) or down (enter).  For more than a backspace/retype
kind of correction you are probably far enough away from the desired point
that a "search" type command or "go to beginning/end of object" would be
more effective than banging on a single-step motion key.

>If, however, you use only your right hand and DON'T put your left hand on
>the keyboard, it seems to become a somewhat more natural place for one's 
>fingers to fall (if that means anything).

Aha - that's why I like vi!  I can drink coffee with my left hand while
browsing through files with my right.

Les Mikesell
  les@chinet.chi.il.us