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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!think!harvard!sasaki
From: sasaki@harvard.ARPA (Marty Sasaki)
Newsgroups: net.emacs
Subject: Re: Beginners Intro to EMACS?
Message-ID: <377@harvard.ARPA>
Date: Sun, 29-Sep-85 00:54:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: harvard.377
Posted: Sun Sep 29 00:54:37 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 30-Sep-85 02:33:57 EDT
References: <5400002@datacube.UUCP> <3745@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> <671@bu-cs.UUCP>
Reply-To: sasaki@harvard.UUCP (Marty sasaki)
Organization: Harvard Science Center
Lines: 38
Summary: 

As the system manager of the VMS system that Barry Shein mentions in
his anecdote, let me add a few things and ask a question. True EMACS
hackers should probably hit the "n" key here.

The version of VI that we are running on our VMS system is a port from
4.1 BSD (I think). VI only sort of works. Changes in the VMS C
compiler, run time library, and VMS 4.2 terminal driver have
aggravated problems in VI. The next version of VMS will break VI
again. Version 5 of VMS will break it for good (our primary VI hacker
has gone off to a *real* job and *real* money, I miss you already
Melissa).

** FLAME ON **
	VI is one of the poorest written programs that I have seen. It
	is increadibly UNIX dependant, and should probably be
	rewritten (using lots of hindsight) to be portable.
** FLAME OFF **

There, I feel much better.

The problem that I have is that the professors just won't change the
way they do things. We have asked them to consider changing to another
text editor, either EDT or EMACS. But they have refused. EMACS makes
the most sense since it runs on all of the systems at the Harvard
Science Center. EDT is a good idea on VMS because it is very efficient
(for a screen editor).

I can't force a change. Does anyone have any tips on how to convince
the prof's that VI is a bad idea. Or alternatively, does anyone have a
VI mode for GNU Emacs?

		Marty Sasaki (sasaki@harvard)
-- 
----------------
  Marty Sasaki				net:   sasaki@harvard.{arpa,uucp}
  Havard University Science Center	phone: 617-495-1270
  One Oxford Street
  Cambridge, MA 02138


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