Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!husc6!uwvax!oddjob!hao!noao!arizona!robert From: robert@arizona.UUCP Newsgroups: comp.os.vms Subject: Re: vi written in TPU Message-ID: <1670@megaron.arizona.edu> Date: Wed, 29-Apr-87 10:24:39 EDT Article-I.D.: megaron.1670 Posted: Wed Apr 29 10:24:39 1987 Date-Received: Fri, 1-May-87 04:13:18 EDT References: <14873@brunix.UUCP> <55*kenw@noah.arc.cdn> Organization: U of Arizona CS Dept, Tucson Lines: 48 Summary: an opinion In article <55*kenw@noah.arc.cdn>, kenw@noah.arc.CDN (Ken Wallewein) writes: > >Does anyone know of a version of vi written in TPU? If so, is it available > > My GOD! Why would you want to DO such a thing :-) ?!? It's like running CP/M > > I'd love to hear from somebody with EXTENSIVE experience using vi, emacs, teco > Too many people criticize things from a > position of ignorance, and I must admit I only used vi for a month or so. > Do you really get used to working in that split-brain mode? The statement that vi is split mode while Emacs and EDT are single mode is not quite accurate. They are both split mode. (Just hold on.) First, though, when you are editing with a pencil and eraser, you are in two modes: one is scanning through the material, the other is applying the pencil. You would not want the pencil touching the paper while reading the words. The same in vi. I spend a portion of my time reading and "flipping the pages" and positioning my "pencil and eraser" to where I need to make changes. The same in Emacs. But to prevent the "pencil" from marking all over my text, I need to CONTINUOUSLY inform the editor about my intentions by holding down the control key. (I used to have to use Emacs on a VT 240 and the control key is so far away my left pinky ached all the time. I didn't find it so funny.) In vi you touch key once and then get on with moving around and all the other neat things. In Emacs I find myself having to concentrate more on the editing task to keep from inserting new text unintentionally. This detracts from the real task at hand. Emacs does have a lot of features I like, so I do jump over and use Emacs to do those. W.r.t. EDT, the command mode is done by having to reach away from the natural hand position on the keyboard and hit the "8" key to page down, the "5" key to page up (those are not mnemonic). The two modes are keyboard to insert, the keypad to command. And I think we could go on about every editor to define at least these two modes. -- Robert J. Drabek Department of Computer Science University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 85721