Xref: utzoo comp.editors:318 comp.emacs:4100
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!ttrdc!levy
From: levy@ttrdc.UUCP (Daniel R. Levy)
Newsgroups: comp.editors,comp.emacs
Subject: Re: Looking for a Simple Text Editor
Summary: :-) (religious debate!!!!!!!!!)
Message-ID: <2887@ttrdc.UUCP>
Date: 28 Aug 88 18:59:08 GMT
References: <4912@fluke.COM> <2557@shark.TEK.COM> <809@kuling.UUCP> <7105@bigtex.uucp>
Organization: AT&T, Skokie, IL
Lines: 39

In article <7105@bigtex.uucp>, james@bigtex.uucp (James Van Artsdalen) writes:
# In article <809@kuling.UUCP>, irf@kuling.UUCP (Bo Thide) wrote:
# > In fact ALL vi commands and operators are single letter mnemonics!
# 
# ZZ

This really stands for, "I'm so tired of editing I'm about to fall asleep" :-).

Seriously, you don't have to use ZZ, it's just another way of writing off and
quitting.  You want to stay mnemonic, use

:wq
(ru
 ii
 tt
 e)

# My objection to vi is not the command set, but the seemingly infinite
# number of visually indistinguishable modes.  emacs is also modal, but
# modes are visually distinguishable.  emacs also doesn't require that
# you switch modes so often either.

This doesn't mean much unless you are in the habit of beginning a command,
walking away from the terminal for awhile, then coming back and resuming
right where you left off.  BTW you can abort most anything in vi, even if
commands are buffered up, using the DEL (or whatever your INTR character is)
key.  Typing ESC twice will always get you back to a known mode.  That's why
I like vi -- I always know how to "get back to Kansas" if something unexpected
and weird happens, without having to kill the session.  Also, vi respects
terminal software flow control which over some networks and on some machines
is needed at high speeds (e.g.  38400 baud on a Tek 4107).  I tried emacs with
such a terminal and it prompted me "Search:" when it saw the ^S after a screen
repaint.  Rebinding the ^S and ^Q got rid of that, but sometimes the terminal
buffer overflowed.  Yuckola.
-- 
|------------Dan Levy------------|  THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN ARE MINE ONLY
| Bell Labs Area 61 (R.I.P., TTY)|  AND ARE NOT TO BE IMPUTED TO AT&T.
|        Skokie, Illinois        | 
|-----Path:  att!ttbcad!levy-----|